Persuasion
by tea-made-bean
Summary: In which Annabeth, the affluent yet estranged daughter of Frederick Chase, calls off her engagement to Capt. Percy Jackson. Five years later, he returns, still bitter, only for his life to cross paths again with the now successful, cold-hearted Annabeth Chase. As they encounter more drama in their lives than asked for, will they be drawn together once more or torn further apart?
1. Prologue

**Hi!**

 **So, if you're reading this story again, I meant to write a prologue, but I just kinda forgot about it, so... sorry... (but here it is)**

 **Also, if you are a reading this for the first time, welcome aboard! Don't be confused when in chapter one, there's a whole A/N that looks like a first chapter A/N, so yeah...**

 **Also, I'm sorry to anyone who was reading this and thought this was an update, because it is, but it's not. But, do not fear because the next chapter is coming! I'm like half-way done with it...**

 **Anyway, get reading!**

* * *

Annabeth never thought she'd be one to be persuaded by the heart.

But she was. Twice.

She always thought she'd be one to be persuaded by the mind and rationale.

And she was. Too many times.

It turns out the heart knew her a lot better than she thought, and her mind, maybe less than she thought. It wasn't really as rational as she thought it was.

It wasn't really something she could figure out on her own, though.

Someone else helped her – but he didn't persuade her or force her – he just loved her, and that was it.

And, maybe that was all that she needed.

* * *

Growing up, his friends used to tell him he was the emotional one.

He thought going to the navy would fix that.

Turns out, life's deceiving.

Emotions are messy. Percy was a messy person – but sometimes, things just get too messy – and you can't really fix it.

He persuaded himself that he was stronger, but was he?

And then he remembered he loved her, and that was really all he needed.

* * *

 **Okay! That's my truly awful prologue! Yay!**

 **Anyway, keep reading! I kind of feel like it's not gonna get better unless you read the actual story.**

 **I'm very sorry if I appear demanding right now. It's just the mood.**

 **But, for now, see ya,**

 **\- tea-made-bean**


	2. Music

_**Persuasion**_

 **Hi guys!**

 **I'm super excited to start this story finally, so, yeah...**

 **Wow. I am on a roll this week.**

 **Thanks to all of you who read my other mini-story _Ghost of Her, Ghost of Him_. You guys are awesome! Also, if you haven't read it, you can still read it!**

 **So, I didn't get a ton of help on my previous dilemma on which story I should do, so I ended up choosing myself which one I should do, and I wanted to do this one because the story was more fully flushed out, so I have a better idea of where this is going to go.**

 **So... this is all canon pairings... just so you're aware...**

 **Anyway, I really hope you enjoy it, and please review!**

* * *

 **Summary:**

 **In which Annabeth Chase, the affluent yet forgotten daughter of blue-blooded Frederick Chase, calls off her engagement to young Captain Perseus Jackson of the US Navy. Five years later, she's still unmarried, more cold-hearted than ever (and maybe a little lonely), and he comes home from deployment, still bitter.**

* * *

 **One.**

 **Music**

 **Annabeth POV**

Annabeth leaned her head across his chest as she swayed to the cheesy music blaring.

He seemed to drown out all the noise, and the clinking of glasses, and the ridiculousness of her, of all people, being at a club.

Of course, it didn't seem ridiculous to her stepmother who thought Annabeth was studying Anchoretic Didactic Literature at this time of night.

Percy spun her, and Annabeth giggled a little.

He leaned close down to her ear, his lips tickling her. "You really are a good dancer, Wise Girl."

Annabeth smiled bashfully to herself before facing the other direction and whispering, "You should've seen me at prep school. I was the worst."

Percy laughed. It was a deep, but soft laugh - the kind that told her he really was happy and maybe even a little breath-taken.

Annabeth checked the time on Percy's watch. It was getting late. A little too late.

She entwined her fingers with his and danced him towards the door. "I have to go. My stepmother will start wondering."

Percy threw back his head dramatically. "Who _cares_ what your stepmother thinks? Come on, Annabeth! Pleeeasssee?"

He gave her his best puppy dog eyes. And, gods, they were convincing.

Annabeth glared at him, thinking all the same thoughts as he was. "Ugh. Seaweed Brain, you _know_ I can't."

"Fine," he said, putting on a pouty face. "I guess you don't love me."

Annabeth rolled her eyes at his adorableness. "I guess I don't," she said, stomping indignantly in place.

Percy smiled, grabbing her hand as they wove their way out through the drunken men and women in the bar.

Out on the street, the yellow lights were dim. Drunk people stumbled through the streets. The polluted air smelled putrid.

Percy gripped Annabeth's hand tightly as they walked along the dark streets.

Annabeth stood up to kiss him on the cheek and whisper, "Thank you. I really had a good time, you know."

Percy nodded and smiled, but his eyes remained vigilant, staring down every alleyway with an air of cold power.

When she reached Percy's motorcycle, Blackjack, he helped her on before quickly getting on himself and kicking off immediately.

Annabeth gripped Percy's waist hard as they flew along the streets. The cool air chilled her skin through her thin jacket, but it felt warmer than anything she'd ever felt.

Her stepmother would never approve of this. Her, riding a motorcycle through a less than safe neighborhood with a boy who barely had half a brain nor an eligible family name.

Definitely not.

Of course, her stepmother knew that she and Percy had something going on, but she didn't know about their nightly dates through the city that took her places she'd never been allowed to go within a mile of. Annabeth preferred to keep it that way.

They whizzed past dark warehouses, and bright cafés, and dark houses, and finally, they came to the mansions.

When she described them as mansions, she meant _mansions_. They were gigantic, practically palaces. Only the most elite, richest, most lavish people lived there, and that included the Chase's.

The Chase family was one of blue blood. They had old money traciing back to their lineage of minor royalty in England.

However, due to their constant lavish spending and now Annabeth's stepmother, they had sound themselves in quite the financial deficit.

Of course, Annabeth had proposed several _very_ practical solutions to their problem, but her stepmother refused any way that would cause them to lose their status and very, as she put it, "necessary lifestyle."

Even Annabeth's father, Frederick Chase, wasn't really that aware of the issue at hand as he'd been gone for nearly a year now on "business."

So, Annabeth had generally given up and resorted to doing whatever she felt like doing instead and generally ignoring her family's desperate situation.

She'd survive just fine on her own.

Percy pulled his motorcycle up in front of the private gate before Annabeth's driveway.

Percy helped Annabeth off the motorcycle, and together they snuck around to the back of her house.

The thick forestry surrounding the Chase residence were dark and dimly moonlit at this time.

Annabeth and Percy stumbled as quietly as possible through the bushes until they reached the backend of the tall fence surrounding the property.

Percy smirked as he faked a bow and extended his hand out to Annabeth. "M'lady."

Annabeth laughed and accepted his hand. "Thank you, dear sir."

Percy hoisted Annabeth over the tall fence, and then threw himself over silently, landing in a comfortably crouched position.

Percy led Annabeth toward the front door of the house and embraced her tightly.

Annabeth felt his face move to her ear as he whispered in low, rough voice, "I love you, Wise Girl. See you tomorrow."

Annabeth's heart fluttered just thinking of seeing him again. "I love you too, Seaweed Brain. I'll see you later."

Percy had started walking back towards the wall he came over, and just as he came to the wall, her winked at her and disappeared into the night.

Annabeth smiled wistfully as she walked towards the front door of her house, unlocking it quietly as to hopefully not wake anyone up.

It was a little past midnight now, so later than usual, but explainable.

She could just say Piper had a fashion crisis or something. Piper wouldn't give her away, anyway. She was in on all of it in fact.

Annabeth stepped inside the cold, dark house.

Her heels clacked loudly against the floor, so she slipped them off, carrying the 4-inch heels in her hands instead.

The dark, marble floors in the foyer chilled Annabeth's feet as she walked through the house, running her fingers softly against the walls she passed.

The house felt icy and distant to her. The people who lived in it really did reflect upon her perception of the house.

A soft glow came from the catering kitchen where the maids were probably cleaning and preparing for breakfast tomorrow.

Annabeth headed over to the light where her only friend in this house, Hazel, was humming as she chopped a bell pepper.

"Hazel?" asked Annabeth as she poked her head in.

Hazel looked up, putting the knife down. "Annabeth! You're home!"

Hazel's golden-brown curls bounced wildly as she hugged Annabeth.

Annabeth smiled. Hazel was the only person she trusted in this household – the only person she could ever talk to. "Yup. I'm home."

Hazel nodded enthusiastically. "Awesome. Let me just finish cutting this one, and then I'll be done for the night."

Annabeth nodded. "You're working late today."

"Yeah. Helen's having some friends over for brunch tomorrow, so I'm just helping prep."

"Helen and her friends, huh?" Annabeth said skeptically.

"Yup," Hazel said rather solemnly, as if it brought hard memories back.

Hazel scooped the cut bell peppers into a Ziploc bag and stuffed it into the fridge, before wiping her hands off and hanging her apron up in the closet.

Hazel rinsed the cutting board as she spoke. "Are you going up to your room?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah I guess so."

Hazel dried her hands and smiled. "Would you allow me to help carry your sheets upstairs?"

Annabeth smirked. "Most definitely."

Hazel smiled. "Perfect."

Together they departed the catering kitchen, turning off the lights as they went.

As they walked, Hazel eyed her. "Where'd you get _that_ dress?"

"Oh. This thing? Piper."

Hazel snorted. "Who else would own something that ridiculous?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, smoothing out the dress. "I though it was cute. It matches Percy's eyes a little too."

Hazel raised her eyebrows. " _You_ thought _that_ was cute?"

Annabeth smirked. "Yeah. See?" she said, pointing to the shiny fabric. "Even though it's kinda a holographic look, which really isn't me at all, when you turn, it looks less dark gray, and more a vibrant green."

Hazel scrunched her eyebrows, thinking. "Yeah... I don't really see it, but you're right, holographic _definitely_ isn't you."

Annabeth nodded contemplatively. "I know. I'm normally a more gold or gray or silvery or like even purple and burgundy and dark blue. Stuff like that. But, you know what, Piper said it looked cute."

"Okay..." Hazel said suspiciously.

"Fine," Annabeth said reluctantly. "Piper was a _little_ drunk when she helped me out."

Hazel snorted. "No really, Sherlock. Anyway... you must've been cold in that."

"No, not really. Piper lent me this leather jacket too."

"Oh dear," Hazel sighed.

Annabeth just laughed quietly to herself.

They continued to travel through the cold, twisting maze of hallways and rooms in silence until they reached Annabeth's, tucked away in a far corner of the house. Only her room was placed as far away from the center of the house as possible.

Annabeth opened the door quietly, stepping into the dim, moonlit room. The moon was nearly full and the sky was twinkling with clear, bright stars.

Her blankets had been spread to perfection, and every surface shone without a speck of dust.

Annabeth quickly changed into her sweats and a t-shirt as Hazel prepared her bed for sleeping.

Annabeth climbed into bed, turning on a lamp, covering the room with a soft yellow glow.

Hazel settled herself in a crisscross position at the bottom of Annabeth's bed.

Hazel smiled mischievously. "So, was it a good night?"

Annabeth smiled shyly. "Yeah. It was."

"Was it everything you imagined it to be?" she asked.

Annabeth smiled wistfully. "Of course. It would never be anything less."

Hazel giggled. "You get the most emotional I ever see you when you're talking about him."

Annabeth stared at Hazel. "No, I don't! Do I?"

Hazel nodded exaggeratingly. " _Definitely_."

Annabeth looked mortified. "I do? Oh my gosh."

Hazel laughed. "Yeah. You really do."

"Oh gosh. I honestly had no idea," Annabeth sighed. "He _is_ a subject to be emotional about, though. Right?"

"If you're you, then yes," Hazel replied with a sneaky looking smile. "So, you have to tell me _everything_."

Annabeth chuckled. "Yeah. I really should. Well, for starters, it was amazing. He's an incredible dancer, Hazel. He just moved so _naturally_ to the music. It's not like the dancing I learned at prep school at all. You know, like all rigid and stuff. It just felt so… fluid, I guess – like every moment was used perfectly."

"You really are going insane from spending too much time with this guy," Hazel said. "I've never seen you get all dreamy about _dancing_ of all things. You hated that stuff at prep school."

"Yeah, well that stuff was crap. _This_ was dream-worthy.

Hazel raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Annabeth glared at her. "Anyways… you should've felt what it was like holding on to him as we flew through the dangerous parts of town on Blackjack. With the -"

"What's Blackjack?" Hazel interrupted.

"His motorcycle."

"Annabeth! That's dangerous!" she scolded.

Annabeth just rolled her eyes. Hazel was so cutely protective sometimes like a little sister. "Yeah, yeah. I know, Hazel. Motorcycles are dangerous. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Well, anyway, it was so incredible – the wind blowing in my face, the streets glowing dim yellow, the sounds of reckless people clubbing, just _everything_. And you know, we were going through such a shady part of town, but I wasn't scared a bit when I was holding on to Percy's hand. He just makes me feel so… safe."

"That's good, Annabeth. You need someone to make you feel that way," Hazel responded.

"I know. I'm glad I have him," Annabeth said dreamily. "He's coming by tomorrow."

"What?" Hazel asked, surprised.

"Yeah. He said he wanted to talk to me about something."

Hazel's golden eyes glinted. "Ooh. Maybe he'll ask to meet your parents."

Annabeth snorted. "Meet my parents? What the heck, Hazel? Are you serious? He _knows_ my parents hate him."

Hazel just shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

Annabeth laughed. "Hazel, you're so cute," she said, patting Hazel's frizzy hair. "How's Frank?"

Hazel blushed at the mention. "He's okay. His family is thinking about letting him stay here permanently, so he can keep his job with the Grace's."

"Oh. That's good."

"Yeah," Hazel said quietly. "I'm happy for him."

Annabeth nudged Hazel. "And you too…"

Hazel blushed. "Annabeth! You know it's not like that really!"

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Hazel pouted. "Yes. Really."

Annabeth checked the time on her phone. It was 1:32am. "I'm going to bed, Hazel. You can stay here if you want, or you can head home. It's up to you, although I suggest you stay here because it's so late out, and with everything that's been going on on the news and what not…"

Hazel nodded. "Yeah. I know. I think I'll stay if you don't mind."

"Of course not," Annabeth responded with a yawn. "I'd rather you be safe. Besides, there's like _way_ too many blankets for just me anyway. Plus, you're like so small that my couch is like a whole bed."

Hazel nodded. "Thank you."

Annabeth just smiled in return as she lay her head down on the pillow and shut her lamp off, letting the soft yellow glow fade out of the dark room.

* * *

When Annabeth awoke the next morning, the sun was already pretty far up.

The bright sun flooded her bedroom as she rolled out of her bed.

Hazel had already left, leaving not a single trace of her existence here.

But, first of all, Percy was coming today.

Annabeth sprung out of bed and rushed to her bathroom to get ready.

She threw on her favorite wide-legged, utility jumpsuit and a jacket. Then, she carefully put her hair up into a tidy bun.

She had just finished the last touches of a light makeup routine when her phone buzzed.

It was Percy. _Would you care for a stroll through your lovely gardens, m'lady?_

Annabeth smiled to herself.

Rushing downstairs, Annabeth sprinted to the flower gardens behind her house.

As she blindly rushed through the gardens, she toppled into someone.

There was a chaotic tumbling of black and blonde and grey and green.

When Annabeth regained her feet, she was frazzled. "Oh-my-gosh-I'm-so-so-sorry-i-was-not-paying-attention-at-all-to-where-i-was-going-i-feel-so-awful-for-knocking-you-over-and-probably-ruining-your-clothes-or-something-oh-my-gosh-oh-"

"Calm down, Wise Girl. It's okay," the other person responded.

Annabeth relaxed. "Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. I'm really, really sorry and – wait…" Annabeth looked up. "Wise Girl? Percy?"

Percy smirked. "Yeah. I'm Percy."

Annabeth threw her hands in the air. "Oh geez. I'm sorry. Shall we begin our walk?"

Percy held out his arm in mock courtesy. "Yes, we shall."

As they walked along the gardens, Annabeth told him all about the different flowers and plants they grew, and she delighted in it.

She explained each of the flowers individual adaptation and all their different needs. Then she went on to explain how flower petal coloration worked which led her on a tangent about the electromagnetic spectrum which then took her on a road about the dangers of radioactivity which eventually led her to complain about the lack of importance of knowing all this which eventually landed her back at flowers and how she would much rather talk about flowers than study Gregorian Chants.

Annabeth felt bad for going on her long string of tangents, but she loved talking to Percy all the same.

As they rounded one of the many corners of the center garden's hedge maze, Percy spoke. "Annabeth, I'm gonna be deployed again soon."

Annabeth paused, processing. "What?"

Percy looked pained. "I have to go soon."

Annabeth's eyebrows scrunched. "For how long?"

Percy stared at his feet. "I don't know."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean you don't know?"

Percy couldn't meet her eyes. "It could be a while. There's war over east, so they're thinking about sending me there for a little."

"War?"

Percy looked nervous as he realized his mistake. "Not… not real war. Just a little fighting and stuff. But they're going to have me mostly helping train, not fight. And then, I'll come back and help do some more training here in the States."

Annabeth nodded slowly. "Oh okay. So, how long do they say?"

"I honestly don't know. It could be months or years."

"Years?" Annabeth said, her voice rising another octave.

Mentally, Annabeth was screaming. She'd die without Percy, and if he left her for _years_ … Gosh, she couldn't even think that far ahead. And, what if something happened to him? Then what…

Percy shook his head quickly. "I mean, I doubt it."

"Oh. I see." There was a pause as Annabeth leaned brushed off her pants. "Do you have to go?"

Percy looked away. "I wish I didn't."

Annabeth shook her head. "No. I understand. Duty calls."

Percy grimaced. "Yeah. It does."

Annabeth smiled, regaining her previously happy composure. "Well, let's focus on the good things, shall we? We have what, at least two weeks until you leave, right?"

Percy nodded. "Yup. And I promise to spend as much of it as I can with you."

Annabeth nodded firmly. "Good. You better."

Percy smiled. "I wasn't planning on anything less."

As she walked along, Annabeth kicked up little trails of dust. As they rounded the corner, they came to Annabeth's favorite spot in the garden, the statues and fountains that made up the center of the garden's hedge maze.

As she stared at the various statues that had been commissioned for the garden, a blip of water landed on her cheek.

Annabeth turned with a menacing look, before quickly splashing her own water up.

Percy smirked. "Bring it on, Wise Girl. You can't beat me. My life _is_ the water."

Annabeth just smirked right on back. "Being in the navy has _nothing_ to do with your capacity to beat me. I'm of a whole different category."

With that, she threw another fistful of water at Percy.

Percy sputtered between coughs. "You—can't—get—me!"

He kicked and thrashed water at her, spraying her.

Annabeth just threw another fistful at his face, reaching for a bucket left out by the gardeners as she did so. However, Percy saw her, and splashed her with water before she could see where she was reaching.

In the meantime, Percy had grabbed the bucket and was scooping up water from the fountain, when Annabeth ran over and pushed him from behind straight into the fountain.

As he tumbled in, he tossed the water in the bucket, soaking Annabeth.

Annabeth squealed before regaining her composure. "Screw you!"

Percy just smirked as he sat in the fountain. "Aw… I knew you loved me, Wise Girl."

Annabeth tried to maintain a serious face as she struggled to hold back her laughter. "I don't anymore, loser!"

Then she lost it. She tumbled over on the ground laughing, her clothes soaked in patches and her strands of her hair falling out her bun wildly.

"I love you, Seaweed Brain," she whispered in his ear as he stepped out of the fountain.

Percy held her. "Me too."

"Don't leave me. Please."

"I won't. Not in heart. But you have to promise me something."

Annabeth stood up. "What?"

Percy lowered his knee. "That you'll be waiting for me all that time."

Annabeth covered her mouth, a thousand thoughts racing through her head.

"Annabeth Chase, my one and only Wise Girl, will you marry me?"

* * *

 **Wow! It's over! Chapter One is done! (that rhymed :)**

 **Thank you so much for reading, and please please please review!**

 **\- tea-made-bean**


	3. Promises

**Hi people!**

 **I'm back with Chapter Two! Yay!**

 **Anyways, thanks so much for reading, and I really appreciated all your comments feysand4life, KELP-HEADED-IDIOT, gpellepasta, and FangirlsAreEverywhere. They make my day.**

 **So, please, please keep that up!**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Two.**

 **Promises**

 **Percy POV**

This was it. The moment. Percy took to his knee.

He fumbled at the start, but the first word set him back on the path of confidence. "Annabeth Chase, my one and only Wise Girl, will you marry me?"

Her hand covered her mouth, and there were a hundred ways Percy predicted this could go.

Before, he could think about it much, though, he was ambushed by a hug.

"Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh," was all Percy heard.

Percy looked at her nervously. "Is that a yes?"

Annabeth just smiled. "Yes. It's a yes, Percy."

Relief flooded Percy's mind. Gosh, that had been the most emotionally exhausting thing he'd ever done in his life.

Percy held her in a hug as she squealed and squeezed him tighter.

He loved her. It was a fact.

"I'm so happy, Wise Girl," he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Me too," was all she said back.

Percy stopped, staring at the soaked, velvety box on the ground. "Oh crap."

Annabeth pulled away. "What is it?"

Percy squeezed his eyes shut. "Well…"

He could feel Annabeth's concerned stare though his closed eyes.

"Annabeth, I forgot to give you the ring and now it's all wet."

There was a burst of laughter. Percy opened his eyes.

"Honestly? That's _actually_ the most Seaweed Brain thing you've ever done." Annabeth wheezed through her fit of laughter. "Oh. My. Gosh. I don't think you've _ever_ done something that stupid since I've known you."

Percy cracked a smile. She was cute when she laughed hysterically like that. "Sorry, Wise Girl."

Annabeth calmed down, regaining herself. "It's okay. That was just _such_ a Seaweed Brain move."

Percy laughed, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, well, I guess I better give it to you now."

Annabeth smirked. "Yeah. You better do that before you forget again."

Percy reached for the ring box, brushing off any stray droplets of water.

He opened it revealing the ring, still intact and clean thankfully.

The small diamonds set into the ring glimmered softly in the morning sun as Percy slipped in onto Annabeth's finger a little clumsily.

Annabeth tilted her head to admire the slight blue tint to the diamonds that lay interspersed among the soft olive branches that made up the band.

Percy smiled. She liked it. He'd spent a good deal of his fortune and a whole lot of his time and pain on that ring.

Annabeth kissed him on the cheek. "I love you. It's absolutely perfect."

Percy wanted to melt. "You're perfect."

Cheesy. He knew that, but screw that. He loved her enough to be cheesy and cliché.

A phone buzzed, and Annabeth grabbed hers from her pocket, frowning.

Percy looked over. "What is it?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Good news first. Thalia's back in town."

Percy tilted his head. "That's good. And bad news?"

Annabeth sighed, putting her phone away. "Helen's throwing a dinner party tonight."

Percy grimaced sympathetically. He knew how much Annabeth dreaded these parties. "Well, things could be worse, right?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, clearly frustrated. "They are. It's for me."

Percy stopped, blinking. "What do you mean?"

"She's trying to play matchmaker. She wants me to marry someone influential and rich, so that she'll be socially and economically boosted – you know, to fix all our financial problems."

"Oh." Percy paused. "That sucks."

Annabeth laughed painfully. "Yeah. It really does. Worst part, though, it's not just any dinner party – it's a _dancing_ dinner party. And I mean, like _formal_ dancing."

A loud shout across the garden interrupted the conversation.

Percy turned his head to see a girl tumbling down the hill at a dangerous rate.

He began to take a step toward the girl to stop her from killing herself on accident, but the girl managed to land herself upright at Annabeth's feet.

She threw her arms around Annabeth, chestnut hair blowing in her face. "Annabeth!"

Annabeth took a surprised step back, obviously still processing. "Piper?"

The chestnut-haired girl – Piper – looked over at Percy, smiling. "You must be Percy, then."

Percy nodded slowly. "Yeah… That's me."

Annabeth tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and stepped in, noting Percy's utter confusion. "Percy, this is Piper. Piper, Percy."

Piper squealed. "Oh my gosh. You're like _so_ famous."

Percy looked over at Annabeth, confused.

Annabeth just smiled. "What she means is that—"

"She talks about you _all_ the time, is what I mean," Piper interrupted. Annabeth fake-glared at Piper before letting her continue on. "Anyways, yeah. Annie talks about you _non_ -stop. It's _so_ cute."

Percy stared at Annabeth. _She knows about us?_

Annabeth just smiled nervously, then continued. "So, Percy, Piper's my best-friend. And yes, she knows about you, and she loves you."

Percy nodded slowly. His brain was having trouble processing all this. "Okay…"

Percy pondered these very…uh… earth-shattering things as Piper and Annabeth continued their excited conversation.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so happy I got to meet him finally!" Piper squealed.

"Yeah. But, wait for it…" Annabeth held up her hand.

Piper literally jumped. "No way! That's amazing, Annabeth!"

"Yeah, it really is."

"I'm like overflowing with _happiness_."

"Piper!"

"What? I'm happy!

Percy heard Annabeth sigh. "So, why'd you come here?"

"Oh yeah… You heard Thalia was back in town, right?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well… she's gonna be hanging around for the next _three_ months!"

"Really?" Annabeth sounded shocked.

"Yup. You _have_ to come see her like right now!" Piper squealed.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming. I _promise_. I'll be over there in like ten minutes, okay?"

Piper just smiled and went off.

Annabeth turned back towards Percy, who was still processing. "I'm sorry I have to leave you now, but I literally am not allowed to say no to Piper."

Percy just smiled. He knew what a good friend Piper was to Annabeth. "No, it's okay. You should go. But I can't believe I'm only worth _ten minutes_ of your time, and I'm your _fiancé_!"

Annabeth kissed him on the cheek. "Yes, you are, but Piper's my girlfriend, so she _obviously_ takes priority."

Percy pouted. "Fine… I'll just sit here all by myself, all sad and lonely and _without my fiancée…_ "

Annabeth rolled her eyes as she brushed off her jumpsuit. "I love you, Seaweed Brain. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Percy smirked. "You bet, Wise Girl."

As she walked away, Percy wondered how he'd gotten a girl like her.

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Being engaged oddly made Annabeth feel like air.

She felt absolutely _bubbly_ – and she _never_ felt _bubbly_.

Who would've thought? Annabeth Chase getting engaged to a "nobody" - according to her stepmother.

As Piper pulled up to the Grace's home, Annabeth could make out the speck of two figures waving at her from the driveway. Thalia and Jason Grace.

The Grace's weren't necessarily middle-class, but they weren't quite as lavish as the rest of those who lived in the area.

While they were well-off, they had generally cut themselves off from the other houses, or rather, the other houses cut themselves off from them. This was generally due to a few things. First of all, relatively early on, Zeus, their father had left the family for greener pastures. Following that, their mother, Beryl, had come down with mental sickness, leaving her generally outcast from the women of the community.

Lastly, there was Thalia. She was a problem in and of herself. At twelve, she ran away from home. And then, she joined the army, which was not kindly accepted by the community who expected everyone to stay home and manage the house and throw parties. And now, at 25, she was still going on her own way. Thalia had a rather dry, dark sense of humor that often cast a dark shadow on herself.

Then, of course, there was Jason. Jason was the perfect child – the goody two shoes of the family. He was constantly trying to do his very best, and he did so quite successfully. Everyone loved Jason, and Annabeth suspected that much of that came from the fact that he would one day take over his house and he would have to restore his family's name.

Thalia came walking down the driveway, smirking as she met with Annabeth. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Annabeth Chase, looking not a day older."

"I knew you missed me, Thalia." Annabeth smiled. "You just don't want to admit it."

Thalia eyed Annabeth. "I think you're losing your touch, Annie. You don't seem quite so snarky anymore."

"Annabeth? Snarky?" Jason asked as he and Piper joined them.

Thalia snorted. "You didn't know her when she was little, Jason. She had quite the insults."

"Huh," was all Jason said.

Thalia threw her arm around Annabeth as they walked towards the house. "How does coffee sound to you?"

Annabeth smirked. "When does coffee _not_ sound good to me?"

"When you're paying."

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

Thalia turned their path over towards the side gardens rather than the house.

Piper and Jason were still off in their own world, talking up a storm about who knows what.

Thalia looked fierce in her sharp military uniform, her hat pulled over her wild, black pixie cut.

"So," she asked, "how have you really been?"

Annabeth just lifted her hand to show Thalia.

Thalia's face went slack. "Wow. No way… So much has changed in just a year."

Annabeth smiled. "Yup. It was just today."

"Really? I can't believe you're finally engaged. You used to complain to me all the time about how no one Helen picked, you liked."

Annabeth looked away nervously. "Well, about that, Helen doesn't actually uh—"

"Wow," Thalia interrupted. "Rebellious. I guess you haven't lost your touch."

Annabeth laughed. "Yeah, well, being in love makes a person soft."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Thalia fanned her face exaggeratingly. "Annabeth Chase, in love? I really did miss a lot."

Annabeth blushed. "Yeah. You did."

"So, tell me, do I need to interrogate this guy?" Thalia asked, smirking.

" _Definitely_ not. He's a good guy. He's actually in the navy," Annabeth said, thinking about him wistfully.

Thalia scrunched her eyebrows in thought. "Really? Maybe I've heard of him"

Annabeth just shrugged as they continued walking through the tropical section of the greenhouses.

"So," Thalia asked, "are you ever going not tell Helen?"

The question hit Annabeth hard. She hadn't really thought about it much yet. It'd only been a few hours anyway. "I don't know yet. Maybe not. I think I'd be just fine on my own."

Thalia raised her eyebrows. "Really, Annabeth?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Yeah, maybe."

"I don't know. You know she's going to find you one way or another," Thalia said.

Annabeth didn't say anything.

The ringing of her phone interrupted the conversation. It was Hazel.

Annabeth stopped and picked up the phone. "Hazel?"

Her voice was muffled. "Annabeth?"

"Uh huh."

"Uh… I think you should come home now. Well—"

"Why?" Annabeth interrupted.

"Well… you see… your father's coming home. Now."

Annabeth nearly dropped the phone. _Her father was coming home._

A beat passed before she said anything again. "Okay, Hazel. I'm coming home _now_. Thanks for calling."

She hung up the phone, quickly stuffing it in her purse before starting to quickly rush towards the exit.

Thalia turned in surprise, running to catch up. "What is it?"

Annabeth didn't waste a second, picking up her pace as she spoke breathlessly, "My dad's coming home. Finally."

Annabeth didn't even hear what Thalia asked as she hopped in her car, revving the engine, and praying for it to go faster.

As she drove down the road, Annabeth couldn't even understand whether she was speeding home in excitement or fear – or maybe it was the fact that she couldn't believe it. It wasn't even believable to her that her father was coming home.

It'd been practically a year – ten-and-a-half months to be precise.

She couldn't even remember the last time she'd even talked to her father. He never called.

For all she knew, he could've been dead all that time.

Not that it particularly mattered.

When Annabeth pulled up to her driveway, her father wasn't home yet. He was most likely on his way, but the field where his private jet stayed was still at least 45 minutes away without traffic.

She burst into the house, and began to search for Hazel, but sharp nails dug into her shoulders, spinning her around to face the figure stepping out of the shadows of the entryway.

"Annabeth Chase. You should _always_ greet your mother when you get home. Understood?" a voice said in all its sickly, sweet glory.

Annabeth turned around slowly, her shoulder aching, and plastered a venomous smile on her face. "Hello, _step_ -mother."

"Helen or _mother_ is just fine from you," her step-mother gritted through her teeth.

Seventeen years of living with Helen, and Annabeth had mastered how to push her buttons to the limit.

Annabeth just smirked as she began to walk away. "Okay, _Helen_."

Helen tried to hide her obviously offended expression, but Annabeth saw her clench her fists.

"Annabeth Chase. How dare you walk away from me. I have some news you might want to hear."

Annabeth just rolled her eyes to herself. "I doubt it."

Helen had regained her composure. "Really? A little bird told me a little something about an engagement, is that true?"

Annabeth stopped, her feet glued to the ground as she turned on her heels to face Helen. "And what would you care?"

Helen smiled viciously. "Because, dear, I wouldn't want you to throw away your _beautiful_ self at such a young age to such a… uh… _lowly_ partner."

Annabeth's lips formed a tight line. Helen was treading on dangerous ground. "Like you think I'm beautiful. Besides, what's in it for you?"

Helen laughed. "Your stupidity entertains me to no end. You don't think I _actually_ haven't noticed our increasing financial deficit, have you?"

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "I mean, I think it's fair to say that you're about that dumb."

Helen narrowed her eyes. "You've obviously underestimated me. Now, as I was saying, we're in need of some sort of external source of money, and I think that a political marriage should do just that."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Great. I'm glad I'm purely a means of money to you. Gods, I minus well be a prostitute or something…"

"Well, dear, I'm glad to know your pride is still intact enough that you think that _you_ would be good enough for _that_ job," Helen said casually.

"That wasn't really the point, but what do you want?" Annabeth asked, frustrated with Helen's constant skirting of the real question.

"You see," Helen said, circling Annabeth dangerously. "I need the money to support this house and that _boy_ that you've so foolishly let yourself be captured by is not going to bring me that."

"He's not a _boy_ ," Annabeth growled.

Helen just flicked her fingers in annoyance. "Whatever. He's a boy all right. Besides, have you even _met_ his family?"

As much as Annabeth wanted to retort, she barely knew anything about Percy's past – only that he had a mom and a stepdad currently.

Helen smirked triumphantly. "That's what I thought. You _do_ know that his mother has married three times, now, right? And that Percy was born out of wedlock?"

Annabeth didn't, but she couldn't afford to be hurt by the fact that Percy didn't tell her now.

"And what does that matter, Helen? At least he's good person – far better than you'll ever be."

Helen laughed. "Annabeth, Annabeth. You've always been so ignorant. No, not innocent, but most certainly blind."

Annabeth gritted her teeth. "Blind of what? I seem to see your hideousness just fine."

"Yet you fail to see the fact that I'm always one step ahead of you," Helen said, tracing her fingers along Annabeth's chin.

Annabeth swatted Helen's hand away, angry. "I don't care what you think. This is _my_ life, and I love Percy."

"And yet, you've fallen straight into an endless hole that you will never be able to crawl out of," Helen sneered.

There was a silent showdown as Annabeth watched Helen vigilantly as she circled her.

There was the sound of a maid coming down the hall, and Helen straightened again, but as she turned to leave, she whispered, "You _will_ marry someone of _my_ choosing. Understood, my _daughter_?"

With that, Helen turned away, walking toward the kitchen, leaving Annabeth alone.

Annabeth stared at the ceiling of the foyer, eyes blank.

Helen had revealed some things she hadn't realized herself.

As much as she hated it, Annabeth began to see that perhaps Helen was right on some fronts. And the more she thought that, the more she began to doubt herself.

She was brought back to reality when the front door unlocked.

A young man in a black suit came in, carrying a large suitcase and a briefcase.

Annabeth knew who would follow him in the door. Her dad.

Frederick Chase was a tall, well-built man. He was on the leaner side, but he seemed equally intimidating either way. He commanded respect but was filled with a wide depth of knowledge and a passion for the humanities, despite his work in business.

As soon as he walked in the door, Helen emerged from the hall again.

"Frederick, dear. Welcome home," she said, smiling overly sweetly.

He nodded, his face exuding a slight sign of gladness. "Helen. It's good to be home again."

"I'm glad you are—"

"Annabeth." He turned toward Annabeth. He looked tired. He had the eyes of a man who was tired of living this way, but he knew no other.

"Dad," Annabeth whispered.

Annabeth looked into his dark brown eyes, and she could see the exhaustion, the pain, the suffering, everything.

His features took on a homier look, as if he finally felt as if he could take off his mask. "It's been a while."

Annabeth nodded slowly. "Yeah. It has."

He straightened his shoulders slowly. "I think we need to talk."

"I guess so."

Her father turned toward the living room where he settled down on one of the silk armchairs.

"I've missed a lot, haven't I?" he said.

Annabeth nodded.

"Annabeth, there is something serious we need to talk about," he said, a dangerous air surrounding his voice.

"Yes?" Annabeth said quietly, slightly scared.

"Your, uh, engagement," he said.

Annabeth's heart sank. Helen must've told him. He would never approve now. "Yes?"

His eyes returned to being cold and stern, like the distant father she'd always known. "You need to put your family above this _engagement_ of yours. Your... mother would've wanted it that way."

Annabeth swallowed, fuming. "You wouldn't know what my mother would've wanted. You would have no idea."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him, and for a moment, his eyes flashed sorrow, but they returned immediately to their cold, distant look.

"I was not married to your mother for long, but I knew her. She wouldn't have said yes."

Annabeth laughed hysterically. " _You_ did _not_ know my mother. _You_ have no idea what she would've said." Her father opened his mouth to speak, but Annabeth continued, "When you married her, she wasn't rich or famous yet – she was just an average nobody. Why can't that be the same with me?"

Frederick Chase's lips formed a tight line. "Because, we weren't financially impaired then."

Annabeth scoffed. "So, you're going to let money and _Helen_ , that devil of a woman, control your own daughter's happiness?"

He seemed pained to answer, "Yes."

Annabeth shook her head. "You're insane, Frederick."

Helen appeared at the door out of nowhere. "Don't address your father by his first name."

Annabeth clenched her fists. "He's no father to me. He hasn't been for the past seventeen years."

Frederick stared at her, eyes wide, a well of pain appearing in his eyes, but Annabeth didn't care.

She balled her fists even tighter as she walked out of room as steadily as possible.

Ignoring the stares of the maids, she ran out of the house, getting in the car, and driving – driving anywhere she could, anywhere that would make her feel human again.

Tears streamed down her face as she realized all the things she had said and recounted all the things that had happened to her in her short life – all the pain, all the sorrow, all the anger, and now _this_.

Her instincts took her _there_ – the only place in the world that made her feel at home.

She ran to the grave, sobbing uncontrollably.

There seemed to be no end to the pain. It seemed there never was.

As she cried, she stretched out a shaking hand to touch the gravestone, whispering, " _Mom. Mom._ "

There were footsteps behind her, and a hand touched her shoulder. "Annabeth? I thought you'd be here. I heard everything. I'm sorry. I really am. I love you, Annie, and you know I'll always be there you." Annabeth didn't even look up.

There was a minute of silence before the person spoke again, sounding a little wary. "Look, Annabeth, I want to comfort you, I want _so bad_ to say you're right, but I think you need to realize that maybe what you're saying about Athena isn't true."

Annabeth's heart crashed. She knew that, deep down at least, but she couldn't admit it – that even her own _mother_ wouldn't have agreed.

 _Annabeth's mind flashed back to a scene in which a young her stared at her mother, sitting in a park._

 _The park was generally deserted, and Annabeth was just sitting and reading a book._

 _Athena crouched down beside her, "Annabeth."_

 _Little Annabeth looked up, closing her book. "Yes?"_

" _Annabeth, one day I'm going to be gone, and—"_

" _Gone?" Annabeth interrupted._

 _Athena smiled sorrowfully. "Yes. Gone." Annabeth stared at her with scared eyes. "I know. But it_ will _happen one day, and when that happens, you need to take care of my legacy – you."_

 _Annabeth nodded mindlessly. She was more focused on the blades of grass she was trying to weave together._

" _But," her mother continued, "you also need to protect your father. You need to protect him from everything. He will be a different man when I go someday, but you need to make sure that he stays, okay?" Annabeth just continued to weave her blades of grass, creating an impressive little blanket. "And the only way for you to do that for me is to love him. You need to love him with all your heart, and promise me to always do your best to guide him, okay?"_

 _Annabeth nodded, and held up her little, grass tapestry to her mom. Athena smiled, tears in her eyes._

 _Athena died only eight months later._

Annabeth had long forgotten about those words of her mother.

They were words that she needed to hold true to.

They _were_ her mother. They were everything – anything left of her was.

Annabeth closed her eyes, and even with the tears still falling, she realized she had only one choice.

She _would_ love her father and fulfill her promise to her mother to take care of him and guide him. He had gone astray when she died, and she needed to bring him back.

She swallowed, and, standing up shakily, she walked to the car, Thalia trailing behind her warily.

She walked away from her sorrow and pain and promised a new perspective – one in which none of this would be relevant. She could forget all her pain for once - just for once.

* * *

When Annabeth returned home, there were a host of preparations occurring as the prepared for tonight's last-minute party.

Even when she returned to her room, a whole crew of maids was there, armed with dresses and makeup and curling irons.

Stuffing her into a tight, gold, floor-length dress that showed just a _little_ too much skin for her comfort.

There was a flurry of makeup and curling and braiding, but eventually they deemed her complete.

She stared at herself in the mirror, looking at the perfectly-polished version of herself – the exact kind of person she'd never been nor ever wanted to be. Yet, in all her fake-ness, she felt as if she could hide away in this shell everything that had ever made her human, and pretend to be perfect.

But, her mother.

She couldn't hide those feelings away.

Tears came to her eyes as she thought about her mother, but she remained stoic, digging her nails into her palms – prepared to do anything that she might need to.

But then there was Percy.

Percy in all of his wittiness. Percy in all of his braveness. Percy in all of his kindness. Percy in all of his handsomeness. Percy in all of his love.

And there was _Percy_.

Annabeth bit her lip, attempting to stop the tears.

She picked up her phone, calling him, but there was no answer. The voicemail recording began and Annabeth said nothing. She couldn't.

What was she supposed to tell him? That she suddenly decided to ditch him?

She put down the phone frustrated, and a maid knocked on her door.

Annabeth hurriedly opened the door, knowing what was to come. It was Hazel.

"Annabeth? It's time," she said, her eyes full of sympathy.

Annabeth took a deep, shaky breath, but stood upright. "Thanks, Hazel."

Together, they walked the halls to the main hall of the house where they'd set up round tables off to the sides, leaving a large space for dancing.

Had she not been the one this was all about, Annabeth would've said it looked beautiful.

The room was filled with at least forty men.

As they stared at her entering the room, Annabeth felt as if she wanted to shrink away – hide in a corner for the rest of the night.

But she had to face this.

She could see her father in the distance, watching her every move carefully.

And for a moment, she saw Athena, standing beside him, smiling at her, and Annabeth remembered why she was doing this.

She straightened her shoulders and took a bold step further into the hall.

Then she saw Helen, who stood beside her father, smiling venomously, and Annabeth couldn't.

She couldn't take another step forward.

 _Percy._

She couldn't do this with Percy there. She loved Percy, but she needed her mother.

Then, she realized, and, turning on her heel, she ran.

Tears began to fall, ruining her plastic image, but she couldn't even care less any more.

So, she ran, and ran, and ran, because she needed to tell Percy. And it broke her heart.

* * *

 **Phew! We're done here!**

 **This chapter was actually like waayyy longer than the last one, so that's super awesome, but it also means I won't be posting as often.**

F **rom here on out, it'll most likely be once a week, and possibly occasionally less depending on how much writing I get done.**

 **So, yeah, I hope you liked it, and I would love it if you would review!**

 **But, I'm out!**

 **\- tea-made-bean**


	4. Still

**Hi guys!**

 **So, I'm back. It's been busy with the holidays coming up, so I'm amazed with myself for actually getting a chapter out to you all.**

 **Also, I'm _so_ excited because we are at more than 500 views on this story, and I cannot believe it, so thank you all.**

 **Thank you so much to all those who followed or favorited the story - it makes my day when that notification pops up in my email!**

 **Anyway, I was writing this, and it made me think of the song 'Happier' by Madilyn Bailey (it's just the same one as Ed Sheeran's almost), and it made me want to cry...**

 **Your reviews make me so happy and provide me with really helpful feedback for this story, so I'd love it if you left some for me!**

 **Anyways, hate to keep you from the story (if you read this part at all), so let's go!**

* * *

 **Three.**

 **Still**

 **Annabeth POV**

Annabeth stared at herself in the rear-view mirror.

Gods, she was a mess.

Makeup left streaky marks on her face, her dress was wrinkled and dirty, and her heart – well, that one might've been beyond repair.

Her sleeveless arms were chilled by the cool, evening air as she stepped out of the car, so she grabbed a flannel from the back of her car.

Turns out it was Percy's that she'd borrowed when she was cold last week.

She swallowed, staring at the small, four story building in front of her where Percy would be.

In one hundred feet, she'd have to explain everything, and let go of her all her fantasies. It'd be over for her.

She kicked off her heels, slipping on some bright blue flip-flops left in her car.

It was dark out.

She approached the older building warily, staring at its dark shadow.

Inside the building, she walked up the stairs quietly, listening to the sound of her feet creaking on each metal step. The sound felt hollow and empty.

As she walked up the stairs, every step felt like a battle of decisions. Every step was one step closer to this path of life. But one step back, and maybe she'd be happier for once.

But every time she wanted to turn around, a thousand things went whirling through her head - her mother's words that year, her father's pained, disappointed face as she fled the party, Helen's icy fingertips tracing her face venomously, and _Percy -_ his perfect smile that made her feel so _happy_.

As each memory passed, she could feel it - the warmth, the wave of disappointment, the fear and anger, the happiness.

Eight flights later and a hundred existential crises later, she arrived in front of apartment No. 4D.

Her hands were ice cold as she knocked on the door.

There was a scuffling from inside, then the door opened, revealing a tired-looking, middle-aged woman.

Her graying brown hair was tied up into a crazy bun. Dark shadows were set beneath her eyes, She was wearing a worn-out, blue apron, and she smiled tiredly as she sighed.

Annabeth fingered with the edges of her flannel awkwardly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I guess, um, I just got the wrong building. I'm really sorry—"

The woman looked at her softly. "You wouldn't be Annabeth, would you?"

Annabeth's eyes widened in surprise. "Actually, yeah. How'd you know?"

The woman smiled sweetly – truly sweetly. "I'm Sally, Percy's mom."

"Oh," Annabeth said. "I see. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, finally," Sally said. She motioned for me to come in. "Come on in. It's not much, but you're welcome to stay if you're waiting for Percy."

Annabeth scrunched her eyebrows. "Waiting? Is Percy not home?"

Sally shook her head. "He's out tonight for work, but he'll be home in a few hours, but I don't know if you want to wait that long."

The inside of the apartment was nothing fancy, but it felt homey – far more than her own house.

Annabeth fidgeted nervously. The moment didn't feel right, but Annabeth thought she would throw-up from nervousness before she ever gave it to her, so she did it now. "Actually… do you think you could give this to him?"

She held out the ring, tears beginning to form in the corner of her eyes.

Annabeth stared at it. The million dreams that she was giving away. The million adventures that she was throwing down the drain. The million things she'd never get to say to him after all this. And she was giving them all away with this one little ring.

Sally looked at it, as if she were a little shocked for a second, then looked at Annabeth sorrowfully. "Of course. But, dear, are you sure you're okay?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah. I think so."

Sally sighed. "Would you like some tea?"

Annabeth nodded, wiping away her tears quickly. "Actually, yes. That would be fantastic."

Sally smiled sympathetically. "I know when a girl needs a cup of tea. I've been through plenty of them."

A small smile formed on Annabeth's lips as Sally gestured for her to sit on the couch.

Annabeth observed the room slowly.

Their faded blue couch seemed worn but loved.

Rusty, old frames surrounded old photographs on the coffee table.

One was of a little boy, which Annabeth presumed was Percy, splashing in the water at the beach, a goofy grin on his face.

Another, which seemed to be from an earlier time too, was of Percy, proudly holding up a gold medal at what appeared to be a middle-school swim meet. His hair was floppy and wet, but his eyes shone with pride.

But even through the grainy images, Annabeth saw little scars and bruises on his arms and stomach, and she hurt for him. Helen had no idea what kind of boy Percy was – he was a hurt, but he was strong, and now he was a man. Helen had no idea what she was talking about when she talked about Sally, who was officially the sweetest woman Annabeth had ever met despite only knowing her for ten minutes. Helen didn't know anything. She really didn't.

One more picture lay on the coffee table. It appeared to be the most recent photo. In it was Percy, who was proudly holding his graduation cap at NYU, hugging his mom affectionately.

Annabeth's hand reached out to touch the photo as she thought of her own mother, but there was a clinking of mugs on the table.

Sally set down the two mugs, filled with steaming tea, and settled herself on the couch beside Annabeth.

She looked at Annabeth softly. "Are you _sure_ you're okay? I've been through a lot, and I know what it's like."

Annabeth kept staring at the picture of Percy and his mom as she whispered, "Not particularly, I guess. I'm just so… tired of all this."

"I know, dear. Trust me, I know. What's on your mind?" Sally asked. Annabeth didn't respond, so Sally added, "I understand if you don't want to talk about it. I'm fine just letting you sit here on the couch if you like."

Annabeth smiled a little bit to show her gratitude. "No, no. It's fine. It's just, Percy made me so happy."

Sally smiled at that. "I'm glad he did. That makes me proud to hear as a mother. But… why the past tense?"

"I just don't think this will be good for us," Annabeth said, fingering the ring. She paused, deciding whether to go on. "I guess… I have a feeling that things won't work out too well between us. Just with my family and all, it's complicated, and it'll be hard for him too."

Sally placed a hand on her back affectionately. "Dear, Percy would do _anything_ for you. I _know_ that without a doubt."

Annabeth smiled. "Thanks, but… I just don't know if _I_ can deal with my family if I go through with this. It— it scares me. I feel like my own conscious is crumbling in on itself."

They sat in silence, as Sally sipped her tea.

She reached out, picking up the photo of Percy's graduation.

Sally smiled in nostalgia. "That was one of my happiest days. I've never been happier to be a mother."

"I'm sure you were," Annabeth whispered sorrowfully. "I think you could've gotten along with my mother."

Sally turned her soft, brown eyes at Annabeth. "I'm sorry, dear. I know it's hard to lose a parent." She paused. "When Percy's dad left, I remember it being so hard to be the mom that I wanted to be because I was just so wallowed up in my sorrow. Seeing him only reminded me of his father more. Eventually, I learned to love Percy better without always just seeing him as a leftover piece of his father."

There was a moment of silence as Annabeth stared at the photo of Sally and Percy together.

"I get it" Annabeth said quietly. "I guess my dad just never really got over it."

"Annabeth," Sally said, "I'm sure your dad loves you. I just think it's hard to move on sometimes. It was easier for Percy because he never knew his dad, but you knew your mother and had a relationship with her, and that probably made it a lot harder on you."

"Yeah. It was." Annabeth paused. "When she left, my dad cut me off. He'd always been a busy man, but after that there was _never_ time for me. And maybe that would've been different if I was older and less dependent, but I was four at the time. He left a _four-year-old_ girl without a mother or a father."

Sally nodded, and for the first time in years, someone listened to Annabeth. Someone was there for her. Someone wanted to care about her. And Annabeth had never felt so free and so pained at the same time.

"And then when she was gone," Annabeth whispered, "he was gone too. And he hasn't come back. Sometimes I see glimpses of him, but most of the time, it's like I never even knew him. Then, gods… then when he brought home _Helen_ …" She said the name like venom in her mouth. "Then it was all over. She was a monster – she still is."

Annabeth wanted to cry – in fact, she was. Her heart was torn into pieces, and it seemed everyone was holding a piece and playing a tug of war for the rest of her heart.

Helen pulled it, ripping it painfully away from her. Percy pulled it, and she wanted to follow his pull. But her mother pulled it – she pulled it into Annabeth's mind, and Annabeth couldn't help but follow it.

She ranted for what seemed like hours. Sally just sat patiently, listening through all the anger, through all the frustration, through all the tears.

And when she got to recounting today, she cried. Her heart was shattered, like tiny splinters of glass – so small, so little, but painful like nothing before and impossible to put back together.

She told Sally everything – everything that Helen had said, everything that her dad had said, everything that Thalia had said, and everything her heart was saying.

When she had finished everything, Sally was near to crying.

She hugged Annabeth, stroking her hair softly as Annabeth sobbed into Sally's shoulder.

Annabeth remembered her own mom, and it made her cry even more because of everything she had missed, and everything that she had ever wanted – and now, it was all falling apart.

Sally let go of Annabeth as Annabeth wiped away her tears slowly.

It felt as if a burden had been lifted off her – a burden that'd been there so long she'd practically forgotten about it.

Sally took a deep breath. "Annabeth, I'm s sorry. Those are things no person should be able to say at such a young age." Annabeth nodded shakily. "I understand if you still want to cut off the engagement – and I'll support you if that's your decision— but I just want you to be a hundred percent sure that this isn't something that you'll regret in five years."

Annabeth fidgeted in her seat, picking at her fingernails.

She thought about everything she'd ever wanted, and she was getting her fairytale prince, but her life wasn't a fairytale, and getting her fairytale prince meant not getting her happy family – there would be no happy ending to her story.

And Athena…

"Yes," Annabeth said as firmly as she could in her shaky voice. "I don't have a choice anymore. And, if I could do it again, I would never have done this, but life's not fair to anyone – particularly to me."

Sally nodded, though her eyes betrayed her sadness for her son. "I understand, Annabeth. I know what you've been through, and I don't want you to be estranged from your family for your whole life."

"But…" Annabeth started. "I know I'm going to regret this decision. But, at the same time, if I choose otherwise, I think I'll regret that too. And I'm not sure which one I'll regret more."

Sally smiled sadly. "I went through something similar before too, so I understand what you're feeling, and I completely respect your decision. It's a hard decision to make, and feelings are messy."

"They really are."

Annabeth's eyes were clouded with tears. She dug the ring out of her pocket, handing it to Sally, whispering non-audibly, "It seems we barely had any time together."

Sally took the ring carefully, setting it down on the counter, hands calm.

Annabeth smiled, and as she walked toward the door, she turned around, saying, "Thank you."

Sally smiled. "Of course. I hope this isn't the last time we get to meet."

"Me too." Annabeth paused. "Please don't tell Percy anything. I don't want him to worry. I feel horrible that I'm not telling him in person, but I don't think I could face him right now."

"I understand, dear."

"Thank you for the tea," Annabeth said, a tired smile on her face.

"Of course," Sally said, smiling softly. "Good night, Annabeth."

"Good night."

As Annabeth walked down the cold metal stairs of the building, it felt as if the hollowness was echoing from herself and less so the stairs. And she'd never felt so _empty_ in her life.

And she cried because, after all that – she knew she regretted it.

* * *

 **Percy POV**

Percy stared. "Mom…"

Sorrow filled him mom's eyes.

"Mom…" he whispered.

His mom swallowed, an obvious lump in her throat.

Percy stared at the shiny, blue diamonds and the intertwined olive branches.

It'd only been half a day. That ring had taken him half his savings account.

Percy swallowed, his emotions mixed.

"I'm sorry, baby," his mom said, hugging him.

Percy didn't say anything. He just stared.

A thousand thoughts were racing through his head, but it just felt _blank_.

It felt like one big blank space in his head – like something was supposed to go there, but for some reason something had malfunctioned along the way. If anything did, it was probably him.

"Percy…" his mom spoke. "She regretted it the whole time."

Percy clenched his fists painfully, his eyes glassy. "How could she regret while she did it. Doesn't _regret_ mean _after_ the fact?"

"Percy, she loved you."

Percy snorted. " _Loved_. Past tense, mom. _Past_ tense."

Sally looked hurt, and as much as Percy wanted to apologize, he couldn't.

His mind reeled, his gears spinning so fast, he thought they'd fall right off. And they did.

He slammed his fist on the counter, all rational thought and sympathy leaving him, and nails digging into his bleeding palms.

"I spent my _fortune_ on that, mom! I don't know what the hell she wants from me, but gods!" Percy yelled.

A few drops of tea slipped from a mug.

"Percy," his mom said softly. "Don't, okay?"

Percy shook his head, his eyes grim. "Whatever. I'm going out."

"Percy…" his mom started. Then, she paused, reconsidering, her eyes tired. "Just… just don't get hurt, okay?"

And for a moment, Percy wanted to curl up in his mom's arms and cry. But he couldn't. Not after all this.

He grabbed the ring off the counter in one swift, angry motion, and headed out the door.

* * *

Percy pushed on the gas pedal harder.

Not a word. _Not_ a word.

No message. No voicemail. No letter. Not even a _sticky note_.

What the hell.

Percy kicked Blackjack into a higher gear, speeding up as he flew along the freeway of the city.

A million bright lights flew past him in the corners of his eyes. A million things that he'd never gotten to say – that he'd never gotten to do.

And, now… he couldn't help but feel empty still.

An empty vessel floating in the ocean, bumping along the various waves.

So, he turned his bike around in a flurry, earning himself several honks, but he hit the gas, and _flew_.

He drove and drove and drove – back to the suburbs, back to the mansions, back to _her_.

He pulled up to the gates, and, for a while, he stood still in front of them.

It seemed like hours.

There were tears, screams, clenched fists, and gritted teeth as he paced in front of the gates.

Maybe he wasn't enough for this.

With one frustrated decision, he hopped the fence that they so often did together and climbed to her second story window.

But there was no fairytale princess awaiting his arrival.

So, he left the ring. With no letter, no voicemail, no nothing – not even a sticky note.

He left it there, taped to her window.

And Percy left.

He drove slowly back – all energy gone from him.

And, after all that, he couldn't hate her.

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Annabeth stared at her ceiling.

She hadn't gotten out of bed since she woke up an eternity ago.

The sun was already shining strongly into her room, meaning it was probably almost noon.

She'd gotten a good yelling yesterday when she came home.

 _Helen stepped out of the kitchen, a murderous glare in her eyes._

" _You_ idiot _girl," she snarled._

 _Annabeth swallowed, her tears still clouding her rationale._

" _You are a disappointment to this family, Annabeth Chase," Helen sneered._

" _What family?" Annabeth asked quietly, her voice thick._

 _Annabeth could hear the sound of Helen gritting her teeth. "Don't you dare speak to your father, understood? He doesn't want see you right now. You've disappointed him."_

 _Annabeth laughed sarcastically. "Seems as if I've always been a disappointment anyway."_

" _Do_ not _speak to me that way. You are in_ no _place to do so."_

 _Annabeth didn't say anything. She turned to walk to her room. She wasn't particularly in a mood to fight with Helen right now._

" _Don't walk away from me," Helen snapped._

 _Annabeth didn't care. She kept walking, ignoring every awful feeling welling up in her chest._

" _You've been a disappointment to everyone!" Helen screamed. "To your family, to your father, to your friends, to your mother, to_ Percy." _The_ _name pierced Annabeth like a gunshot. "You will_ always _disappoint, Annabeth Athena Chase."_

Annabeth gritted her teeth in remembering Helen's disgraceful use of her mother's name.

She clenched her fists, flopping over on her bed.

Helen was right, though. She _was_ a disappointment to everyone. To Percy.

But every time she wanted to cry about it, there were no tears.

It was almost as if she couldn't feel anything – as if she were numb.

Emotions felt blank and hollow. Her own thoughts felt like fog. _Everything_ was an empty space.

A bright light shined into her eye, glaring at her from the window.

Annabeth groaned, hoping a cloud would get the sun out of the way, but the glare persisted.

And, for the first time in practically sixteen hours, Annabeth got out of bed, sufficiently annoyed at the sun.

As she pulled the curtains shut, a blue gleam caught her eye.

She stared at it.

"Percy…" she whispered.

Opening the window, she stuck her hand out to un-tape it from the window.

Her hand shook as she clutched the ring in her hand.

Sinking down onto her bed again, she let everything sink away – all her promises, all her regrets, all of her.

And she'd never felt so much pain in her life when she whispered, "Goodbye, Percy."

Because she had made too many promises that she couldn't keep, and her head had persuaded her to choose one over the other.

* * *

 **Whew! That's that!**

 **Thanks so much for reading, and please, please, please, please review!**

 **I hope you enjoyed that chapter, and don't worry because Sally _will_ be back! (she's one of my favorites)**

 **Anyway, I'm so sad for Annabeth and Percy, and Annabeth's unfortunate happening in which she was swayed by her family. That's a tough decision for her to make...**

 **Anyways... thanks for reading and reviewing (if you did so)!**

 **See you next week,**

 **tea-made-bean**

 **Also, question: would you rather be a genius like Annabeth, have charmspeak like Piper, be able to make cursed jewelry appear like Hazel, lend your strength to others like Reyna, or lastly, be awesomely immortal like Thalia?**

 **Let me know in your reviews!**


	5. Games

**Hi guys!**

 **I am back with another chapter! Yayyyyy!**

 **Okay, so anyway, thank you so much for reading, and I can't wait to see your reviews! (Like literally, you should see my face when I see a review in my inbox - I'm like literally glowing...)**

 **Also, omg, we broke 1000 views! I'm soooo excited.**

 **Also, thanks you to the Guest who reviewed! I loved your review and it made me super happy to see the other day. It makes me want to cry inside when I think about how much my favorite fictional people in world are suffering (which is why I love House of Hades).**

 **I'm not sure how happy I am with this chapter, but I hope you guys like it at least!**

 **Anyway, thanks so much for reading because I'm so excited for this story to get going! Get ready for the time skip!**

* * *

 **Four.**

 **Games.**

 **Percy POV**

The military grade duffel landed with a _thunk_.

Percy climbed onto the plane, his boots feeling heavier than he remembered.

Twelve other men sat in silence on the plane, staring at him grimly.

They all felt the same. The all had family and friends they were leaving behind for deployment. They wouldn't be back for a while.

Percy already missed his mom, and he hated to see her hurt like she was when he had left the house early this morning. He still hadn't apologized.

Percy took a seat in one of the far corners, away from the others.

As the plane took off, the ground seemed to disappear beneath the clouds, and Percy relaxed in his seat.

But a quick glimpse at the ground beneath them, and Percy saw the houses below, and he remembered again for just a second, and the well of pain in his heart seemed to return. But as the world disappeared beneath the cover of the clouds, he didn't have to remember anymore, and maybe he just might get to be happy for once.

Just maybe.

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Annabeth hunched over her computer.

There were dark circles beneath her eyes as she typed with a look of a crazed woman.

She'd been typing for hours – for _days_ , it seemed.

… _thank you for taking your time to read this proposal, and I would hope that you would consider aiding me in this business endeavor. I hope that you are able to enjoy this opportunity as much as you are able to mentor me through these beginnings of the firm. Sincerely, Annabeth Chase…_

She clicked the last button. Done.

Leaning back in her desk chair, she stared at the midnight blue dress laid out on her bed. Gold specks flew out of the dress, making it so that it looked like the glassy night sky.

 _Blue was his fav—_ she stopped herself, knowing better.

She smiled tiredly as she stared at the shining blue diamonds and olive branches laying in her desk drawer.

She stood up, closing the desk drawer, and staring at the dress, she took a deep breath and straightened her posture.

* * *

She swallowed.

The doors to the reception hall opened, and all eyes fell on her.

She looked like a goddess. Like the sky itself had come down and become a woman.

Annabeth had to give credit to Hazel, who had done the most amazing job with her hair and makeup, so that she glittered and sparkled from every angle.

The room was silent as she stepped forward, her heels clacking softly on the marble floors.

Annabeth could only hear her own shaky breath with the distant sound of the piano playing Il Postino.

She smiled gracefully, nodding to her father, though she ignored Helen.

But if they looked closer— if they were maybe a little less smitten by her looks— they would've seen the pain beneath the cold, blinding eyes. They would've seen the pain in every smile. They would've seen the hurt in every step she took closer to the center of the room.

But they didn't.

Because no one saw would see that anymore.

* * *

 _ **Time-skip - five years**_

"Sir, as much I understand and appreciate your passion for poetry, it's _very_ important that we get down to the details of your payment," Annabeth said as calmly as she could fake into the phone.

"Sir, you have continuously bothered my assistant all week long to get this phone call, and I would not like to put it to waste."

Annabeth paced her office, squeezing the phone so tightly, she thought it would break.

"I understand if you wanted to call to recite poetry, but I have a meeting to attend in ten minutes, and your payment needs to be resolved," Annabeth said.

Annabeth didn't actually have a meeting for another forty-five minutes, but she was trying everything in her power to get this guy to _shut up_.

" _Sir_ , if you would _please_ listen to me for one second. You owe the company 4.2 million dollars for the seven different monthly payments you forgot to pay over the last few years."

Annabeth internally groaned. This guy was a pain. _All. The. Time._ "Yes, sir. You _do_ owe the firm 4.2 million dollars, and, sir, we are being gracious as to not be hiring a lawyer right now."

"Sir, I think this conversation would go _much_ faster if you didn't speak in haikus," Annabeth said through gritted teeth.

Annabeth was fed up. "Okay, Mr. _Apollo_ , you're going to have to pay the 4.2 within the next two months or we're hiring a lawyer. And, sir, it's not going to go well for you." Annabeth paused for dramatic effect. "Alright then. Thank you for your time, Mr. Apollo. Good bye."

Annabeth stormed out of her office.

Hazel looked at her, worried.

"Gods, that guy is just… ugh!" Annabeth said, her fists clenched.

Hazel laughed. "Sounds like you might've had it worse than me."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Impossible. He literally called you everyday."

"At least he didn't talk to me in haikus the whole time," Hazel said.

"Really?" Annabeth asked. "Okay. I had it worse then." Annabeth's phone rung in her office. "Ugh. I swear, if it's him again, I'm legit going to chuck the phone out the window and maybe myself too, geez."

A few employees looked her way worriedly, and Annabeth sighed. "Don't worry about it, guys. I'm not actually going to throw myself out of the window. Just the phone. Just the phone."

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself more than your employees," Hazel remarked.

"I wish you were wrong," Annabeth mumbled as she reentered her office and picked up the phone.

" _Annabeth?"_ the other line asked.

"Thalia?" Annabeth said. "Hi. What do you want?"

" _Geez… Is that any way to greet your best friend coming back from deployment?"_ Thalia asked.

Annabeth sighed to herself. "Welcome back, Thals. Sorry, I just dealt with a crap client."

Thalia chuckled on the other end. _"Lemme guess, Apollo?"_

"I complain to you too much, Thalia," Annabeth said. "Did you call for some reason?"

" _Yeah. One of my friends just got promoted to captain and is turning twenty-eight, so me and some friends are throwing a surprise party for him on Friday. So, you're invited. Piper and Silena and Rachel are coming too by the way – if that changes your decision."_

"Not really. But I'll come, I guess. What time and where?" Annabeth asked.

" _My new place. Friday, 6 o'clock,"_ Thalia said.

"Okay. I'll see you then," Annabeth said.

" _Bye, Annie."_

Annabeth put down the phone.

She observed the city outside her office window.

Tiny people walked the sidewalks beneath her.

She liked this office because it had a nice view of the city and the suburbs. Plus, she could see her baby from here.

Her baby was about 800 feet tall and made of glass and steel, and it was _beautiful_.

When Annabeth had found out that the city had put her in charge of the design team for that building, she'd been thrilled.

She'd worked her butt off to start a company with a recognizable name and a recognizable architect. It'd taken her five years to hit the map, but she was on the map, and she was proud of it. That building had been her ticket to getting there.

Now, whenever she was feeling down, she would just google the building and be proud to see her name in the building's official information (though she was not particularly proud that she had to google herself to make her feel better…).

Annabeth stuck her head out of her spacious office. "Hazel?"

Hazel looked up. "Yes?"

As soon as Annabeth had started the firm, she'd given Hazel her assistant position.

Hazel never had gotten paid a decent amount for the hard work she did at the house, so Annabeth took the opportunity to give her a better one. Hazel was eternally grateful to Annabeth for that, plus, she was a _fantastic_ assistant.

"Uh, when's my lunch with Piper?" Annabeth asked.

"At 12:30," Hazel answered, smiling brightly. "Which means you need to be there in fifteen minutes. I'll call a car."

"No, no. It's okay. I think I'll just walk today. I haven't been out of the office in forever. Besides, Piper can wait a little."

Hazel nodded. "Okay then. Have a good lunch!"

Annabeth just smiled, and picking up her handbag, pressed the button for her private elevator.

The door opened, and Annabeth stepped inside, heading for the ground floor.

She tapped her foot to the soft elevator music, staring at the advertisement on the wall of the elevator.

 _Creating Inspiring Buildings to Last._

Annabeth rolled her eyes to herself. It seemed ironic that _that_ was the motto to the company she'd built because oddly enough, there never quite seemed to be anything permanent in her life.

Since she'd moved out of the house three years ago with barely any money and a start-up architectural firm, she'd been a mess. And now, her face got featured on the cover of business magazines – she'd even appeared on TIME magazine once (she still had that magazine).

She'd been relieved to move out of the house because that meant no more nightly arguments with Helen. She still visited her dad at his office from time to time, but she almost never came home unless she'd left something there that she wanted.

Frankly, she enjoyed living away from the house.

Sharing an apartment with Piper, Piper's sister, Silena, and Hazel was a little crazy, but it was fun anyway.

Their penthouse was paid off now since they'd paid for most of it with cash (mostly Piper who just stole money from her mom who didn't even know the difference when 7 million dollars left her bank account). It was also convenient that Piper had an innate way with words when it came to convincing the bankers that she was her mom.

The elevator door beeped, letting her out.

She walked straight through the lobby, heels clacking on the floor.

Whenever she walked, people stared at her.

Even this many years later, Annabeth still remembered her mother telling her to always walk like she owned the place.

Outside, she breathed in deeply, enjoying the real air. _Fresh_ was the wrong word to describe the air, so _real_ felt a little better because, well, it was New York, what air was _fresh_?

Annabeth walked the twenty-minute walk, enjoying being like a normal person, even if her heels were literally _killing_ her.

Annabeth arrived at restaurant, happy and pretty sure she had a blister on her foot now, but happy nonetheless.

Piper waved her down from a table.

"Annnniieee!" Piper squealed.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Why are you so excited? We literally live together."

Piper rolled her eyes. "You're so mean. I haven't seen you for like _five_ hours."

"Oh no, a whole five hours," Annabeth said dramatically.

"That's right!"

Annabeth sat down at the table, flipping through the menu half-heartedly.

"So," Piper began, "you coming to the party on Friday?"

"Yeah."

"Cool," Piper said awkwardly as if she was reconsidering saying anything.

"What were you going to say, Pipes?" Annabeth asked, a disappointed look on her face.

"Nothing. Nothing," Piper said, her eyes darting nervously.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Really, Pipes? I've known you since high school, so you better spill."

"Well…" Piper said.

"Well, what?" Annabeth pushed.

"Well… Some one told me that Percy was coming back in town."

Annabeth's brain was on overdrive, but she forced herself to appear as calm as possible. Piper had been pissed when she found out that Annabeth broke the engagement off, but she supported and loved Annabeth anyway — Annabeth owed her to at least listen.

"And where'd you hear that?" she asked her eyes narrowed.

"Silena said someone was talking about it," Piper said, shrinking away a little.

Annabeth often had that effect on people, though it was unintended.

"Okay… so what?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, I thought you might want to know," Piper said.

"Thanks, but I'm over Percy now. I've been over him for a while."

"Okay," Piper said, but she didn't sound completely convinced.

And, frankly, Annabeth wasn't really either, but she wouldn't tell Piper that. She couldn't get her friends too excited.

Piper pursed her lips. "You do know that only people who aren't over their ex—"

"Can I start you with something to drink, ladies?" a waitress interrupted.

Saved by the waitress.

"Just water, please," Annabeth said.

"Same here," Piper smiled.

"Perfect. I'll be right back with those," the waitress said, as she left.

"So, how was work today?" Piper asked.

"Okay. I had that stupid client call again. I swear, I thought I was going not throw myself out of the window," Annabeth groaned.

Piper laughed. "That sucks."

"Yeah. It does," Annabeth mumbled.

Annabeth stood up, straightening her suit pants. "I'm gonna go use the bathroom, so don't ditch me while I'm gone," she told Piper.

"No promises," Piper said with a wink.

Annabeth just rolled her eyes playfully and walked away.

The restaurant was crowded, and as she maneuvered her way through the people, her stupid heels got in the way, sending her falling to the floor ungracefully.

There was a jolt as she stopped before the ground.

"Better be careful," a deep voice said. "I hear heels are a pain."

Annabeth stared down the strong arm catching her from falling. "Uh, thanks."

She stood up, brushing her pants off, and standing, no matter how much her ankle hurt.

"No problem."

Annabeth turned around, and her eyes widened. The man standing before her was a gorgeous human being. Sandy hair was perfectly styled. His soft, blue eyes complemented his perfect smile. A little scar ran through his eye, but it added that perfect note to his perfect face, and, gods, he was gorgeous.

"Uh, hi. Thanks so much," Annabeth mumbled in a hurry.

Then she turned around, and walked to the bathroom quickly, her ankle searing with pain.

She took a deep breath once in the bathroom.

She was an idiot. She just met a nice guy who saved her life practically, and she just said "thanks" and walked away?

It might've been that her ankle hurt like crazy, or that she was still processing the fall, but it might've also been that she hasn't been on a date since, well, Percy.

She fanned her face to cool it off from the blush and walked out of the bathroom as presentable as possible.

She sat down back at the table where she calmly ordered a salad and made small talk with Piper until she got up and left, taking a cab back to the office, trying to pretend like nothing had ever happened. Because nothing would.

* * *

 **Percy POV**

When Thalia texted him that it was an emergency, and he needed to come over _now_ , Percy was in the car in seconds.

Thalia was practically a sister to him, and they fought like siblings too.

When Percy arrived at Thalia's new penthouse, he was suspicious of the silence of Thalia's house because her house was _never_ quiet.

So, when he entered, he was shocked to find fifty people screaming "SURPRISE!" into his face.

So, when he punched the first person in the gut due to instinct, he blamed Thalia.

"It wasn't _my_ fault, Kelp Head!" Thalia had protested.

"Well, you were the one who planned the surprise that triggered my instincts!" Percy had retorted.

Despite this being _his_ promotion/birthday party, he mostly just wandered around alone with the occasional congratulations.

The loud music blaring was busting Percy's ears. It'd been a year or more since Percy had been to a club.

"Jason!" he yelled over the music. "It's been forever, man!"

Jason nodded. "Yeah! Congrats, bro!"

"Thanks!" Percy yelled back.

"I can barely hear you!" Jason practically screamed.

"Same!"

"How've you been? I heard you were on a super long deployment. Those suck, man…"

Percy's attention drifted off as he caught sight of _her_.

Why was she here?

She looked stunning. Her short, sparkly, silver dress glittered from every angle. Her blonde hair was pinned up neatly into a messy updo.

She was more beautiful than he remembered. Far more beautiful. He'd almost forgotten what she looked like after all this time.

She seemed more mature – as if she'd grown out of her girly clubbing days and become a more sophisticated woman.

She must've been too mature for him now, he thought bitterly.

But her eyes – they had changed. Percy had always remembered them being stormy and calculating, but _now_ , they were cold and sharp. When he looked at them briefly, he only felt coldness radiating from them, and only his reflection bounced back from them, as if he couldn't see inside her soul.

But she was different.

She showed up to this party _knowing_ he would be here, and she didn't even care that she'd have to see him again today.

She didn't even care anymore.

She could run into him again, and not even blink.

And she _came_ to the party. And she didn't care.

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Annabeth was struggling to maneuver her way through the party when she tripped over _again._

Stupid heels.

"Sorry," a deep voice said. "I should've been watching where I was going."

Annabeth shook her head, flustered. It was the _same_ ankle. "No, no, no. It's totally fine. It'd just these dumb heels."

"It seems those things are evil."

"Yeah. They are," Annabeth mumbled as she readjusted the straps of her shoes.

"By the way, I'm Luke," the guy said.

Annabeth looked up, taking a breath as she cleared her head. "What?"

"I'm Luke," he said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah…" Something about that hair and those eyes and that scar. "Actually, have we met?"

The guy stared at her for a few seconds. "Actually, did you happen to trip this morning at a restaurant?"

Annabeth smiled. "Actually, yes. So, you _are_ my knight in shining armor!"

"I am indeed, mi lady," Luke responded, a perfect smile graced across his face.

"Oh my gosh, thank you _so_ much for catching me earlier. You saved me from a broken ankle."

"Yeah, of course," Luke said. "But, are you sure you should be wearing heels again after that?"

Annabeth laughed. "Probably not, but it would ruin the outfit otherwise."

Luke smiled. "I think you'd look great either way."

"Thanks," Annabeth blushed.

Luke looked over his shoulders. "Do you want to head out on the balcony where it's less crowded?"

"Well," Annabeth started.

She wasn't ready for this. Not again. She'd promised five years ago to never do this again, but she was falling for him – or at least she thought she was.

She hadn't gone on a date in five years, what would she know now? It wouldn't hurt to have a conversation.

"Actually, yeah. I'd love too," she said, smiling softly.

Maybe she didn't need to keep that promise after all.

* * *

 **Percy POV**

Percy scanned the room.

The room was stuffed and crowded full of people.

Percy settled himself on a barstool, a beer in hand.

He tapped his fingers mindlessly, but his head kept wandering back to her.

But there she was, another guy's hands on her.

She smiled and blushed, and the guy offered a hand.

A light flashed over him, and Percy saw his face.

He practically crushed his beer can.

 _Luke._

Luke Castellan pissed him off. He'd made too many comments and done too many things Percy couldn't forgive. He was a friend of Thalia's which was probably why he was here, but with _Annabeth_? Just no.

Annabeth took Luke's hand, giving him a shy smile.

But it wasn't like the one she used to give him when they used to jump over—

He stopped himself. He needed to stop.

He watched Luke lead her through the crowds, and just like that—she was gone.

Percy sighed, swishing the beer around.

What the hell.

Why was he even here?

His friend, Leo, once told him that the best way to forget about a bad relationship was to go crazy. So, he did.

He consumed his night with drinking competitively with Thalia (who obviously beat him), then he moved on to practicing his flirting skills, then he played a bad round of air hockey against Jason, then he yelled at the football game on tv.

He was walking out to the balcony to cool off, when a girl bumped into him, causing him to spill his beer all over her dress.

"I'm so sorry," he quickly apologized.

The girl shook her head, raising her head to reveal her bright, green eyes that perfectly contrasted her fiery, red hair. "Nah, don't worry about it! I spill on myself _all_ the time, I promise. Though if you could get me a napkin, that'd be awesome."

Percy stared at her eyes, mesmerized. "Uh, yeah, sure," he mumbled.

He stumbled off.

Gods, Percy, he thought, you couldn't have thought of something better to say?

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Annabeth had talked with Luke for hours before she finally left to go use the restroom.

As she wove her way through the crowds, she spotted Percy.

Percy _was_ here. Piper was right. He was here. She stopped, and for a second, she thought about going to talk to him but—

He was with Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

She loved Rachel all right – they'd known each other since middle school – but for some reason it frustrated her so much to see Percy talking up a storm with her.

Percy smiked goofily at Rachel – his _signature_ smile, the one he'd only ever used when he called her a "princess" as he helped her over the walls at midnight.

 _Princess_ , Annabeth thought bitterly.

Rachel smiled brightly, reaching out to touch Percy on the arm, and Annabeth stopped breathing for a second.

And, for just a moment, she thought she saw Percy's eyes, and she remembered the swirling sea in them and the hurt in his eyes – and she felt all the emotions flood back, but as she snapped back to reality, he'd hidden his eyes away.

And she knew he saw her.

And she knew that he _knew_ that she saw him.

And he turned away like it was a game of tag.

 _Catch me if you can because you let me get away first._

Annabeth gritted her teeth, digging her perfectly manicured nails into her palms.

This wasn't even about them being exes anymore.

She breathed out in contempt. If he wanted to play it this way, then she would too.

She straightened her back in determination, and she walked slowly back to the balcony, passing right in front of Percy's eyes.

And as she passed, she glanced at his dark eyes, and when she saw him meet her eyes, there was a twinkle in them because she was going to win this game – and he would be wishing he'd never started it in the first place.

* * *

 **Woah, man. Annabeth's a boss.**

 **She is though - like, honestly.**

 **I'm really sorry there was so much perspective switching in this story! There were just a lot of alternating scenes that needed to fit in with each other sequentially, but I really wanted them to be from certain perspectives.**

 **Also... Next Chapter, get ready for...**

 **\- Perachel**

 **\- Lukabeth**

 **\- fierce passive aggressiveness**

 **\- and everything so perfectly set up for Percabeth!**

 **Also, thanks so much for reading, and please, please, please let me know what you thought!**

 **You guys are the _best_!**

 **\- tea-made-bean**


	6. Jelly

**HI GUYS!**

 **Sorry, those were unnecessary caps.**

 **And wow! I know, double update!**

 **By the way, I'm sorry if I tricked any of you about the last update because it was more like a mini update since nothing _really_ happened, but, I promise, this is a real update!**

 **Also, exciting news! We are at more than 2000 views! I'm so happy and thankful for your guys' views!**

 **Thank you so much to all my favs and followers and reviewers (you guys keep me writing).**

 **This chapter was particularly hard to write as I've been super busy with the holidays lately. And, also, like writer's block (I know, I had writer's block on chapter five - don't make fun of me).**

 **Also, a note to any of you who are writers, I have now opened a beta-account, and I'd love to read your stories!**

 **I'm sorry this chapter was so delayed, but I hope you enjoy anyway, and please review!**

 **Now, onto the story!**

* * *

 **Five.**

 **Jelly**

 **Percy POV**

" _Perseus Jackson. You better get your butt over here tonight. It's been years since this many of my friends have been back in town, and I'm_ not _letting you get out of this one,"_ Thalia growled into the phone.

Percy shrunk back even from the other end of the phone. Gods, this girl was scary without even having to be here.

"Got it," he squeaked.

" _Good. I'll see you later, Kelp Head."_

Percy put down his phone, sighing.

He settled back onto his faded, blue bed.

He breathed in the dusty smell of his old room. He missed this place so bad.

 _A pair of dark brown eyes flashed before his face._

Percy scrambled back, his breathing heavy and muffled.

He looked around his room warily.

 _Bloody tears fell from the eyes._

Percy shivered, his breath shaky.

He fell back on his bed, breathing slowly. _Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale._

 _They told me I might have to go see a therapist_ , Percy thought grimly.

"Percy!" his mom yelled from the kitchen.

Percy swallowed. Calm down, Percy, he told himself.

"YES?" Percy yelled back.

"Cookies!" his mom yelled.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck anxiously as he stood up, wiping the sweat on his forehead.

A soft glow came from the kitchen.

"Hey, mom."

His mom looked up from where she was standing, oven-mitts over her hands. "Hey, baby."

Percy leaned against the counter, taking in the smell of the fresh-baked cookies as his mother opened their rusty old oven.

 _Home_. It'd been a while since he'd last felt that way.

"I'm, uh, going to Thalia's this afternoon, so I won't be home for dinner," he said, his mouth stuffed with blue cookie crumbles.

His mom nodded. "Sounds good. What's it for?"

"Just a get-together for all her friends that she hasn't seen in a while," Percy responded. "Like, you know, me, Jason, Nico, Piper, Luke" Percy stopped. "—and, uh, Rachel."

His mom nodded slowly. "Okay…"

"Yeah, uh… cool," Percy said awkwardly. "Anyway, I… gotta go get some, uh, guac for the party, so, uh, see you later…"

Percy scooted out of the kitchen uncomfortably under his mom's skeptical eye, sighing painfully.

There was always readjustment when you got home, right?

* * *

Percy knocked twenty-seven times before Thalia opened the door.

Turns out it wasn't Thalia because Percy could here her yelling from far away, "Gods! Whoever is at the door, would you just shut up!"

It was Luke. Thalia just _had_ to invite him.

Percy glared. "Luke."

Luke smiled. "Percy! Good to see you again, man."

Percy nodded as he thought, _man? Really?_

Luke was far from a man. He was a rich playboy with nothing useful to do. He hadn't worked a day in his entire, stupid life.

Percy walked towards the kitchen, when a voice came bursting around the corner, yelling.

"Thalia! Don't you have any stupid guacamole for gods' sake! I'm from _California_! I need my guac – now!"

Percy knew that voice. Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

Annabeth.

She came around the corner, and, hell, she looked beautiful in her navy and red, brush-striped cocktail dress and heels.

She bumped into him, smiled sarcastically, grabbed the guac out of Percy's hands and walked away.

"Luke," she said. "Hey, babe."

Luke smiled. "Hey, you," he said playfully. "Can I help you with something?"

 _Oh gods,_ Percy thought, _he's mad in love._

"No, I'm okay," she said. "But, thanks for asking."

Percy saw her eyes tilt slightly in his direction as if she was watching to make sure he was staring.

Annabeth smiled, and slipped her hand into Luke's. "Actually, why don't we go over to the kitchen to grab a drink."

"Yeah, sounds good," Luke said, with a huge grin on his face.

As she walked away, she brushed shoulders with Percy, and she smiled.

Percy's heart twisted.

She was cold, and she was a little too good at this game. She was experienced, for sure.

And, gods, she was messing with his head.

Percy walked over to the kitchen, trailing behind Annabeth and Luke.

Luke's arm was wrapped around Annabeth's waist – practically on her butt, and Percy was literally _seething._

Annabeth leaned up to kiss Luke on the cheek, and Percy saw the twinkle in her eye as she did so.

He gritted his teeth. He couldn't wait for Rachel to get here already.

In the kitchen, Thalia was drinking a can of beer at her marble counters.

She looked up. "Hey Luke. Annie."

Annabeth glared jokingly at her. "Thals."

"What's up, Percy," Thalia said, nodding her head. "It's been a while."

Percy nodded. "Yeah, Pinecone Face. No kidding. Except I was at your house like last week."

"Yeah, whatever," Thalia said, taking another sip of her beer.

"So, is anyone else here yet?" Percy asked awkwardly.

"Uh, yeah," Thalia said between gulps. "Jason and Nico are on the couch."

Everyone stood there awkwardly as Thalia gulped her beer down, setting down the can with a satisfying _clang_.

"Why are guys all standing here?" Thalia asked. "Just leave, geez."

Everyone turned around awkwardly and started walking to the living room.

Jason and Nico were standing on opposite sides of a foosball table, entirely into the game, so Percy was forced to sit on the couch next to Luke and Annabeth who were practically sitting on top of each other.

Percy's phone buzzed. It was Rachel.

 _Hey babe, I'll be there in five. Sorry, the show went longer than expected._

He and Rachel had hit it off after his welcome home party, and they'd been going out since. She was so sweet and spunky and happy – Percy was glad to have that radiating onto him.

 _Cool_ , he texted back, _see you soon._

"Hey, Percy," someone said.

Percy looked up. "Oh, hey, Death Breath."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Kelp Head."

"Hey! That's my nickname! Exclusive use only!" Thalia growled as she stalked into the room.

Nico shrunk away. "Okay, sorry!"

Jason came over, leaning against the foosball table. He turned towards Annabeth. "Annabeth! No way! I haven't seen you in forever, it seems."

Annabeth nodded, readjusting herself on Luke's lap. "Yeah, totally. The last time I saw you was when I got—uh, was living at my parents' still."

 _She isn't living with her parents anymore?_ Percy thought.

"Yeah. You haven't come by much," Jason said as he turned towards me. "Hey, man."

Percy nodded a him. "Hey."

"So…" Thalia butted in, "have you met Annie here?"

Annabeth smiled sarcastically. "No, I don't believe he has."

Percy gritted his teeth. "Yeah. I don't think we've ever met, uh, officially."

Thalia nodded. "Cool."

Jason's face was practically white with stress, and he was already a very pale person. "Yeah, that's _very_ cool, so, um, Percy, do you want to play foosball against me?"

Percy sighed, giving Jason an _I owe you one now_ look. "Yeah, sure. Sounds good."

Annabeth piped up. "Hey, Jason, is Piper coming? I came straight from work, so I wouldn't know."

Jason nodded as he realigned all the little players. "Yeah, I think so."

She nodded. "Cool."

Just then, there was a knocking on the door. Percy stood up.

"I'll get it," he said.

He stumbled over to the apartment door, opening it.

A flash of red practically tackled him in a hug. "Hey babe!"

Percy smiled. "Hey, Rach."

She blushed, and Percy observed her perfect outfit of jeans and a floral green blouse.

She grabbed his hand as they walked back over to the couch.

Jason was the first to greet her. "Hey, Rachel! Good to see you again."

She smiled brightly. "Yeah you too!"

Annabeth looked up. "Hey, Rachel."

"Oh, hey, Annabeth!" Rachel said.

Percy settled back onto Thalia's giant couch with Rachel at his side.

Annabeth turned toward Rachel. "So, Rachel, are you still going to art school?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. I'm actually working on my MFA now. It's _so_ crazy."

"I'm sure it is," Annabeth responded. "That's so cool that you're getting your masters."

Rachel beamed. "Thanks!"

"Actually," Annabeth said, "my boyfriend, Luke right here, does a lot of art collecting. You guys should talk."

"Yeah," Luke said, joining the conversation. "I love going to the art shows and auctions and stuff. I love traveling around the world and collecting international art – it's so fascinating."

"Well," Percy interrupted, "Rachel has a big interest in international artwork too. She's done a lot of international residencies."

"Yeah," Rachel said, blushing a little. "I did this one residency in Morocco that was _really_ amazing—"

"I'm sure it was," Annabeth butted in. "Luke, you were living in Morocco once to hold charity fundraisers, weren't you?"

"Uh," Luke started. "Yeah, I—"

"Oh really?" Percy interrupted. "That's nice of you. Rachel does charity work with her art a lot too. She also likes to raise awareness for—"

"You know, that's such a _great_ way to utilize your art skills just like how Luke uses his love for art," Annabeth said, smiling sweetly.

Rachel blushed, but she backed away. Luke's eyebrows were scrunched in confusion too.

Percy clenched his fists. _This woman_.

Out of the corner of his eye, Percy could see that Jason and Nico had stopped their foosball game and were staring at the mass destruction occurring before their eyes.

There was awkward silence for a minute before Thalia butted in. Typical Thalia.

"Oh geez," she said. "Can I not invite my cousin and childhood best friend over for dinner without causing collateral damage. What the hell's wrong with you guys? I swear, you better spill. Now."

Annabeth swallowed, lips pursed. "Thalia, we're fine, trust me. And Percy's your cousin?"

Thalia snorted. "Yeah. He's the one I threw that party for three weeks ago."

Annabeth nodded. "Wait, what? Okay, but Thalia—"

Thalia put her hand up. "Ah – don't you 'but Thalia' me. I know you, Annabeth, so you better tell me _now_."

Percy clenched his fists, his mind spinning. "Wait, Thalia, Annabeth's your childhood friend?"

Thalia stared at him. "Yeah, why does that even matter right now? Shut up unless you have something useful to tell me."

"Uh," he mumbled. "it doesn't."

Percy couldn't even pay attention not the rest of Annabeth's explanation.

 _Annabeth didn't know_.

She didn't know that that was _his_ party. She just came because she was Thalia's friend.

She had no idea. She was surprised when she saw him at the party.

But Annabeth always knew everything beforehand.

That was just the way she was - the way she'd always been.

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Annabeth almost considered hiding under the table, but she wasn't the stupid, foolhardy girl she was before.

The way Piper stared at her and Percy the second she walked in the door – it was awful.

Annabeth thought she was going to throw up.

Between Piper and Jason both trying to awkwardly play referee, it was just a bad combo all around.

And then, there was Percy and Rachel – he was practically eating her face off at the _dinner table_ of all places.

Annabeth had to take constant deep breaths to stop herself from imploding Percy's face with her fist.

The entire dinner Thalia looked like she was going to shoot someone, but she'd resolved to just get another beer and chill. Typical Thalia.

Halfway through dinner, Annabeth's phone rang.

She dug quickly through her purse till she spotted the lit up phone.

She got up from the dinner table. It was her dad.

She answered. "Hello?"

" _Annabeth?_ " her dad said.

"Yes," she responded.

" _Can we talk?"_ he asked.

This was strange. "Yes, why?"

" _Well, we're moving to California next week,"_ he said.

Annabeth sighed. She'd expected this much. "Okay. I presume because of the deficit?"

She heard her father sigh over the phone. _"Yes,"_ he said.

"So, why'd you call?" she asked.

" _I just wanted to ask if you were going to join us,_ " he said.

Annabeth nearly snorted, but she maintained her composure. "My work is here in New York for now. But thanks for asking anyway, Father."

" _Of course. Goodbye, Annabeth. You're welcome to—"_

Annabeth had already hung up the phone.

Her family was leaving her. For the other side of the country. For a long, long time.

Not that it really made a difference anymore.

* * *

Annabeth sat in silence the entire car ride home.

Bad radio music played quietly in the background as Luke hummed.

Annabeth held her arms across her chest as she stared out the window.

Bright club lights and dim apartments flew by them.

There was a pitter-patter on the windshield as a light drizzle fell from the dark sky.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked.

Annabeth didn't turn her head. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you _sure_?" he pushed.

Annabeth didn't respond. She hated it when people pushed. If she didn't say anything more in the first place, it meant she didn't want to say anything more.

"Okay," he said.

The rest of the way was silence.

Luke pulled to the curb in front of Annabeth's apartment building.

As she got out of the car, Luke began to unbuckle.

"Luke, you don't need to walk me to my apartment. It's fine," she said tiredly.

He stopped unbuckling but looked at her concerningly. "Are you sure, Annabeth?"

She forced a tired smile. "Yeah. I'm sure. But thanks."

Annabeth closed the door to the car and headed towards the front door of her apartment building.

A huge fountain was set right in front of the building. It glowed with underwater lights, creating a soft halo that Annabeth skirted around towards the main entrance.

The doorman greeted her as she entered the lobby.

Golden lights filled the room with warmth in each step as Annabeth's heels clacked against the marble floors.

She walked down the grand hallways towards the elevators.

She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the signal of the elevator doors.

Inside the elevator, she fiddled with the loose curls in her hair.

 _Thalia had no idea._

Thalia didn't know about her and Percy. Annabeth found that ironic because Thalia knew the both of them so well – she just never put the dots together.

The elevator doors opened right into the foyer before the apartment.

Annabeth unlocked the door and came in quietly. It was probably just Silena and Hazel home now. Piper and Jason stayed longer at Thalia's. Annabeth just hoped they didn't say anything stupid to her.

The apartment was cold and quiet. It was already nearly midnight.

Annabeth kicked off her heels, leaving them strewn in the front path.

Dim moonlight lit the apartment through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. It radiated off of the marble floors and counters, creating a soft shadow over everything.

Annabeth set her keys down on the counter, collapsing into the nearest chair.

She sat in silence in the moonlight, listening to her soft breaths.

A door opened and closed behind her.

"Annabeth?" Hazel's voice asked.

Annabeth didn't turn around. "Hey, Hazel."

Hazel came over, settling herself on the couch beside Annabeth. "Hey, are you alright?"

Annabeth pursed her lips. "I think so. Thanks for asking."

Hazel didn't ask anymore.

Annabeth always appreciated that. Hazel never asked for more if Annabeth gave the cue not to.

Together, they sat and watched the moon floating above the smog of the city. You could barely see the stars out tonight. In fact, there were practically none in the sky. Too much smog.

Annabeth looked over at Hazel in her matching pajama set and frizzy hair in a messy bun and smiled.

Hazel had Frank now. In fact, all her roommates were in serious relationships. Piper had Jason, and Silena had Beckendorf. And Annabeth, well, she didn't really have anyone.

Well, she had Luke, but she and Luke weren't really that serious now.

And Percy… he had Rachel. Rachel who was so spunky. Rachel who was so beautiful. Rachel who was so sweet. And Annabeth couldn't hate her.

At least not like she swore to hate Percy. Percy who wanted to play this game. Percy who gave the ring back. Percy who was so bitter.

And Annabeth swore to hate him – because he gave her so much grief. He caused so many tears. He left Annabeth without _anything_ – not even her own pride. She lost her entire identity to him, and all she was left with was the ghost of her mother.

So she restarted. She built herself up as a different person. She wouldn't give in to whims of the heart - because she was better than that. Better than she was with Percy.

And for once, Annabeth just wanted to move on. To forget about her family, her mother, Helen, Percy – everyone.

Maybe she could just move on with Luke. Because Luke was sweet. He was kind. He was caring. He _loved_ her. And Annabeth knew she could too.

* * *

When Annabeth awoke the next morning, her back hurt. She'd fallen asleep in the chair in her dress with all her makeup still on.

She drowsily stumbled to the bathroom, stripped herself naked, and got in the shower.

She let the warm water run down her face and back, clearing away yesterday's thoughts. She stood in the shower for a good twenty minutes before Piper started yelling at her to hurry up.

Annabeth just rolled her eyes. She needed the shower.

When she finally got out of the bathroom, Piper was mad.

Annabeth just smirked and walked away. She could literally hear Piper seething.

Annabeth sat down on her bed in her bathrobe, checking her phone.

Her wet hair dripped onto the bed as she read the bombardment of texts from Luke.

 _Annabeth?_

 _Hey_

 _Hi_

 _Uh, so, do you want to grab lunch?_

 _At 12:30_

 _Annabeth?_

 _Okay_

 _Text me back soon_

 _Love you_

Annabeth paused at the last one.

 _Love_. What a simple word. It was used too casually.

She quickly texted back a yes, only to realize it was 11:30, meaning she needed to be out of the house in thirty minutes.

She dug through the racks of her walk-in closet. Dresses, suits, skirts, blouses, all the things.

She smiled as she pulled out a copper, button-front midi skirt and a white blouse.

She threw them on as she blow-dried her hair and put on some light makeup.

Then strapping on a pair of nude heels and a hat, she hurried out the apartment.

Her heels clicked against the floor of the lobby as she called for a car.

A black SUV pulled up, and the doorman opened the door for her as she settled herself inside the car.

"Hi, ma'am," the driver said.

Annabeth smiled. "Hello. To Steelheart, please."

The driver nodded. "Got it. Welcome aboard to Leo Machine!"

Annabeth pulled out her phone. "Thanks, uh, Leo?"

The curly-haired guy smiled. "Leo is right!"

Annabeth just nodded as she checked her email, scanning for any important clients.

And, well, gods, it was Apollo – again. And he was complaining about his house – again.

"So, you going on a date?" Leo asked.

Annabeth nodded mindlessly. "Yes."

Leo nodded, whistling along to the Taylor Swift on the radio. "So, are you vegetarian? Because, _I_ am Chef Leo the Tofu-"

"Could you be quiet for one second, please?" Annabeth interrupted. "I'm trying to write an important email. Sorry."

"Yes, ma'am," Leo said, zipping his mouth shut.

Annabeth sighed in relief as she sent back the email to Apollo.

"We hath arriveth at thou destinationest," Leo said, grinning, as he pulled to the curb.

"Great," Annabeth said quickly. "Thank you."

She got out of the car, walking towards the restaurant.

Inside, Luke waved her down.

"Hey, you," he said, smiling brightly as she sat down.

"Hey."

"You look beautiful."

Annabeth smiled. "Thank you."

Luke paused. "I heard your family is moving next week."

Annabeth swallowed. "Yes, they are. I have no intention of going with them."

"Okay," Luke said. "I just didn't want you ditching me yet."

Annabeth smiled. "I wouldn't plan on it."

Luke grinned. A happy grin – like… like Percy.

Annabeth shook her head to herself.

"I ran into your step-mom the other day. She was over for a party," Luke said.

Annabeth paused, putting her glass of water down. "Yes?"

"She seemed really happy that you and I were together," Luke went on. "I think she's genuinely happy for you and me."

Annabeth smiled tightly, nodding. "Well, that's good. I'm glad you got the family seal of approval."

Luke smiled. "Yup. Me too."

"Now we won't have to worry about... _that_ ," Annabeth said, her fists clenched.

 _Helen_. That woman. She needed to get out of Annabeth's life asap. She'd messed things up once, but not again.

If it weren't for Helen, she probably would've stayed with Percy. And probably been married by now to—Annabeth stopped.

She was thinking of Percy again.

He'd been dominating all her thoughts. And she hated it because she was so sure that she hated him, and she was so convincing to herself, she'd forgotten all about her real self.

And her real self was so conflicted.

She could distantly see Luke staring at her, concerned.

Annabeth shook her head, and as she stood up, she thought she heard herself tell Luke, "I'm sorry. I, uh, need to go."

Her feet carried her out of the restaurant, and she hurried down the street, practically sprinting.

She needed to figure this out.

She couldn't do this to Luke.

Her breath was heavy, curls fell out of her bun. People were staring at her like she was insane.

She felt like she was.

She looked around to make sure Luke wasn't near, and then she pulled out her phone, and there, still on her speed dial was Percy.

She pressed the button.

There was no answer.

She tried again and again and again.

Still nothing.

Then, finally, there was a muffled _"Hello?"_ on the other end.

Annabeth's face was hot from running, her eyes stung, and her head hurt from confusion, but, finally, she managed a steady, simple, "Can we talk?"

* * *

 **Yay! We're done here!**

 **Please, please, please, please review! It means the world to me.**

 **Also, look forward to the action and drama beginning to unravel now...**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and review!**

 **\- tmb**


	7. Courage and Cowardice

**Hi guys!**

 **I'm back! I'm so sorry my updating schedule has been so irregular! With the holidays and the fact that I've been sick, things have been a little crazy.**

 **Also, oh my gosh, HAPPY NEW YEAR!'**

 **I'm so ready to be kicking off the new year with another chapter!**

 **You know though, 2019 is a pretty ugly year number...**

 **Oh, I have to tell you guys, we're at over 3000 views!**

 **Also, to gpellepasta: thank you so much for being such a constant supporter. You're amazing! Don't worry, we're starting to work through the angst, but Percabeth needs time to figure things out, but we all know Percabeth will always make it through it!**

 **Thank you for being patient with my sickness, and get on reading!**

* * *

 **Six.**

 **Cowardice and Courage**

 **Percy POV**

" _Can we talk?"_ she asked over the phone.

Percy froze.

" _Percy?"_ his name slid off her tongue perfectly.

He swallowed. "What do you want, Annabeth?"

" _I—"_ she paused. _"I just want to talk. That's all."_

Percy clenched his teeth. "We can't."

" _Why?"_ she challenged.

"Because I know we can't."

" _It doesn't really matter at this point, Percy,"_ she said dryly.

"Maybe not to you."

" _Percy, we can talk, clear things up, and go on our own happy ways afterwards"_ she said with a hint of sarcasm.

Percy nearly snorted. "Clear things up? When are things ever _clear_?"

" _Not often enough,"_ she responded.

Percy couldn't agree more wholeheartedly. "Exactly."

" _So, what? It's a relative term."_

Percy sighed. "Look, I don't really want to talk."

" _Please,"_ she said witha hint of desperation he rarely heard from Annabeth. " _Meet_ _me at the Starbucks by your house in 10 minutes."_

"What makes you think I'll come?" Percy asked.

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. _"Nothing."_

"That's what I thought," he said as he hung up the phone.

Percy flopped back down on his bed.

There was a knocking on his bedroom door. Percy looked up as his mom stepped into the doorway.

"You should go, Percy," she said softly.

Percy groaned. "How much did you hear?"

His mom smiled. "Enough."

"Why should she expect me to go?" he asked.

His mom came in, sitting down beside her son. "Because, Percy, things are messy. And, besides, neither of you ever heard each other out."

Percy snorted. "What did I do wrong? She's the one who left in the first place."

"Maybe I know the answer to that question, Percy, but I'm not you or her for the matter, so I don't know for sure, but maybe you should ask her yourself," his mom pushed. "For better or for worse, at least you'll come out knowing something."

Percy grimaced, sitting in silence for a second. "Okay."

His mom stood up, giving him a hand off the bed.

She handed Percy a jacket and gave him a hug. "Don't worry about it too much, Percy, okay?"

Percy nodded as he walked down the hall to the door, shutting it softly as he left.

Each step was heavy to Percy as he walked down the cold sidewalk. Each step was closer to having to face Annabeth – having to face everything in their past.

It was nearly dark out. It was coming late fall, so the sun was setting earlier and earlier.

Percy tried to remember what his mom told him – that they had never really tried to hear each other out.

It was true, but was there really anything _to_ hear out?

She called it off, and that was kinda it.

A cold wind breezed by Percy, sending leaves flying across the sidewalk.

He barely felt it.

His feet stopped him in front of the café.

Percy swallowed, jingling the door open.

He scoped the place out, his eyes searching for her. She wasn't there. After all that.

Percy went to the counter, ordering himself a muffin, and sat down at a table.

He tapped the table anxiously, his ADHD resurfacing.

The jingling door opened, and she stepped in – a copper skirt, a blouse, and heels – she looked cold.

She quickly ordered a coffee then headed to the table where he was sitting.

As Percy looked up, he could see her pained, glassy eyes.

As she sat down, Percy commented, "You're late."

Annabeth ignored the comment. "Hello, Percy."

Percy smiled sarcastically. "Annabeth."

Annabeth shook her head. "Look, Percy, I don't want to be here forever. I just want to sort things out to some degree and get going."

Percy didn't say anything.

Their past didn't mean anything to her. He was just another problem in her perfect little life that she needed to sweep up. Not that he really cared if he was or not.

"Great," he said, reclining back in his chair.

Annabeth clenched her fists at the movement. "Percy, I want to have a serious conversation with you for one second, okay? Put down the chair."

Percy nodded sarcastically, but reluctantly put his chair back down. "Got it, mom."

He was doing a good job of driving her insane.

Annabeth was gritting her teeth. "You know, Percy, I'm really sorry about what happened."

Percy snorted. "That's crap. You know that."

Annabeth's lips formed a tight line, and Percy couldn't help but stare at her – because, damn, she was gorgeous. "You know what, Percy, you had no idea what I had to deal with. You never would've understood then." She paused. "And, you know what else, Percy? Maybe if you had been there with me, we could've figured it out. But, you – you were so happy and free – you didn't take the relationship seriously — at least not seriously enough to put in that kind of time and effort."

"Great," Percy said sarcastically. "So, now it's all my fault. I was the one who _proposed_ for gods' sake! That seems pretty damn serious to me. _You're_ the one who gave the ring back, for gods' sake!"

Annabeth scoffed. "Right, because _everything_ is my fault – always."

"I mean, it kind of is," Percy retorted. " _You_ were the one who left the ring behind. _You_ were the one who broke the engagement off and didn't even leave me a damn sticky note. _You_ barely even considered it. I _know_ that for a fact because that ring was back within half-a-day – what kind of decisions that big happen that fast."

Percy was practically yelling by now. His voice was shaking.

Annabeth shook her head. "It was going to end up like that anyway. It had been going on for a while. I knew it was going to go that way. I just never thought you'd propose that soon."

"What?" Percy asked bluntly. "It's _my_ fault for proposing?"

Annabeth groaned. "No, Obviously not. I'm just saying that this is how things were going to most likely go anyway." Percy didn't say anything. "And think about, Percy – if we had stayed together, can you imagine leaving me alone, freshly engaged, for five years?" Percy opened his mouth to speak, but she went on, "You have no idea, Percy. It would've torn us apart. We didn't have a strong enough relationship to survive that. I haven't seen you and heard about you in five years. I know we wouldn't have made it. Any which way, that relationship was _not_ going to last."

Annabeth stopped, taking a shaky breath and swallowing.

Percy didn't move.

She thought it was his fault.

Her stupid pride didn't even let her admit she'd done anything wrong.

She'd called it off, and Percy thought there was a lengthy reason, but there wasn't. It was just that she couldn't trust them to stay together for that long. She wasn't ready? He wasn't ready? What was it?

Percy swallowed.

He kicked his chair back, as he stood up, watching Annabeth's figure turn towards him as he turned out of the café, taking deep breaths to attempt to calm himself.

He could faintly hear Annabeth yelling, "Percy! Stop walking away. You're such a coward, Perseus Jackson! You can't even face your own damn life!"

Percy just shook his head – he didn't want to listen to her.

Maybe he was a coward. So, what? At least he could accept that he was one.

He pushed the jingling café door open, stepping out into the cold fall evening air.

His life sucked. He kinda did too. That was it. But it didn't really matter.

* * *

 **Piper POV**

Piper walked down the sidewalk, humming to herself as she stared at the moonlit sky.

She was headed over to get a coffee before she had to go visit her mom – it required the extra coffee boost.

As a cold wind blew by her, Piper shivered, ducking her head lower into her sweater as a man passed by her, unfazed.

Piper wondered how he remained so unaffected.

She stopped, turning around to look at the man, who was now far up the sidewalk.

It was hard to see, but that black, tousled hair, and that frame and jacket – it was Percy.

He turned the corner before Piper could say anything.

Piper shook her head.

She wasn't as close to Percy as she was before — not since the break-off.

Piper opened the door to the café.

A blonde pushed her way passed Piper rudely, her head turned away.

The blonde called a cab, and Piper did a double-take as she saw the cold gray eyes of her best friend, but Annabeth either didn't see her or ignored her.

Piper sighed.

She managed to see both Percy and Annabeth so close together.

Fate was strange.

Unless – unless they planned to meet.

Piper stopped in her tracks.

Percy and Annabeth talked. Finally.

Maybe fate was a little warmer than Piper thought.

* * *

 **Percy POV**

Percy stormed into his house, glad his mom was probably out running errands.

The nerve of that girl.

To accuse him wholly of everything.

He needed to vent – badly.

To Jason, maybe. Jason wouldn't get it. He was too stable.

To Thalia, maybe. She would just tell him to shut up.

To Piper? Piper would always side with Annabeth.

Nico? Just no.

But there was still Rachel. Rachel would understand because Rachel was sweet and kind, and she loved helping Percy and hearing him out no matter what. Even if it was about his ex-fiancée.

Percy picked up his phone – Rachel on his speed dial.

A few rings later, Rachel answered with a bright, _"_ _Hello?_ _"_

Percy cleared his throat. "Hey."

" _Hi, babe. What'_ _s up?_ _"_

"Uh, can we talk. I'm sorry, I don't know if you really want to hear about this, but I – I really need to talk to someone," Percy said shakily.

" _Of course,"_ Rachel responded. _"Actually, now's a great time because I just finished a protest over here in Soho, so I'm just walking back to the car."_

"Okay. Are you okay?" Percy asked.

Rachel laughed on the other end of the phone. _"Of course! I just parked kinda far away – I think it was near Crosby Street – so I have time."_

"Okay."

" _Okay, so what'_ _s up?_ _"_

"Well," Percy began.

How was he supposed to tell his girlfriend about his past engagement? _Hey, babe, I was engaged to one of your friends before you. But now she wants to talk again, and we're having problems._

That wasn't going to work. But it was Rachel, she would understand.

"Well, Rach, um, I used to be engaged," Percy began.

" _Oh. Okay."_

This was going just _great_.

"And, well, I haven't seen her since I left for deployment five years ago, but I recently saw her again, and well, let's just say – things didn't go well," Percy said, swallowing.

" _Okay. Uh, what do you think went wrong?"_ Rachel asked.

She sounded like a therapist. It was nice though, having someone who wasn't taking sides.

"Well, she ended up pinning the blame on me, and I did the same to her, but I'm just – I'm really frustrated with myself and her, I guess."

" _I get it. Relationships are messy, but hopefully you can figure things out,"_ she said cheerfully.

This was why Rachel was good for him. She exuded happiness and cheerfulness onto him – something he was lacking lately.

"Yeah. I hope so too. Sorry for making you listen to this. I know this is kind of weird," he said awkwardly.

" _No, no – don't worry about it. Besides – Ooh! I found my car!"_ she squealed.

Percy chuckled. "That's good."

Rachel laughed, but she suddenly quieted. _"Yeah – uh, Percy?"_ she said quietly.

Percy scrunched his eyebrows. "Yeah?"

" _Uh, I'm, uh, getting mugged,"_ she said.

Percy almost thought she was joking because of how calm she was, but the fear laced in her voice made it clear.

Percy scrambled to his feet. "Rachel, stay on the phone! Where are you?"

On the other end of the phone, Rachel was breathing heavily. _"Percy, I'm where I told you earlier. Please, please hurry. Guns—_ _"_

"I'm coming, I promise. Stay safe, I'm calling the police," he said breathlessly, though Rachel was no longer speaking into the phone.

He dialed 911 as he hopped in his car, a safe tucked away under his arm.

"911. This is an emergency. Mugging on Crosby Street, uh, in Soho."

The receiver said some stuff, but Percy wasn't paying attention.

He pushed on the gas pedal harder as he wove through the cars.

 _Rachel_. _Rachel_. It was all he could think.

His heart pounded in his chest, blood rushing through the ears as he pulled a sharp right turn on a red light.

As he flew through the artificially lit streets, he could feel his hot breath dissipating into the cold air.

He wasn't going to be there in time.

He was never there on time – never.

And, finally, the tears began to fall because he knew he could never be there for the people he loved.

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Annabeth didn't have an ounce of energy.

She writhed on her bed, emotions consuming her from the inside out.

 _Percy_ , she thought.

She hoped he died a slow and painful death.

She fell back onto her bed, replaying their conversation over and over again.

"You _were the one who broke the engagement off and left without even a damn sticky note_ , _" he yelled._

Annabeth's insides knotted.

She should've never gone after him.

He never came after her, so why should she?

She was interrupted by her phone ringing.

She reluctantly picked it up, not even checking who was calling. "Hello?"

" _Hi, may I speak to Annabeth Chase,"_ a man's voice said over the phone.

"This is she," Annabeth said blankly.

" _Ah, hello, Ms. Chase. My name Mr. Hermes. I run a shipping company over in California."_

A business call. Ugh. Annabeth put on her interested voice. "Oh, hello, Mr. Hermes. What can I do for you?"

" _Ah, of course,"_ he began. _"Well, the company has begun to invest in building a new corporate building here in San Francisco. I would truly appreciate it if you would consider heading the project."_

"That sounds fantastic. Though I would like to meet with you first to discuss the details at some point," she said.

Great. Another rich client with a stupid name.

" _Perfect. I saw the building you designed in Manhattan, and I absolutely loved your style. I think that would look fabulous on a slightly smaller scale building."_

Annabeth smiled. A skyscraper. "I would love to come out to San Francisco to scope the plot out and discuss any further details."

" _Fantastic! We also have a team of architects here who are also eager to help with the project, though you will be heading it."_

"Perfect. I'll email you to let you know when I'm available to fly out," Annabeth said.

" _Alright then. You can email me at hermes ," he said. "Good talking to you!"_

"Of course. Good bye," she said.

Well, Annabeth figured she at least got her wish to get away from this place for a little.

She positioned herself comfortably on her bed, pulling out her computer to email this Hermes guy her available weeks.

It looked like she was going to have to leave pretty soon if she wanted to be back in time for Aphrodite's Christmas auction and gala that she had attended every single year since she met Piper in high school.

Depending on how the meeting went, she could be out there for months. It might be nice to enjoy a California winter. It'd been a long time since she'd been.

* * *

 _A little Annabeth sat in a car, her feet not even touching the floor._

 _Her mother looked at her. "Annabeth dear, we're almost at the hotel, okay?"_

 _Annabeth nodded. "What city is this?"_

" _This is San Francisco," her mother said, smiling._

" _Why is it called that?" Annabeth asked, looking up at her mother with curious eyes._

" _Because, it was names after Saint Francisco."_

 _Annabeth's mouth formed a small '_ _o._ _'_

" _I think you'll like it here," her mother said, rubbing Annabeth's head._

" _Why?"_

" _Because it's always warm and sunny. And there are big, sandy beaches," her mom said._

" _Oh. Don't they get tired of the sun?" Annabeth asked._

 _Her mom shook her head. "No. The sun makes them warm and happy."_

 _Annabeth tilted her head. "But I like the cold."_

" _One day you won't," her mom replied._

" _Well,_ _" Annabeth said, contemplating, "I think I like it now."_

* * *

Annabeth snapped back to reality, sighing at the remembrance of her mother.

She still liked the cold – or so she liked to tell herself.

* * *

The next day was consumed with packing since Annabeth was leaving early the next morning.

She was bringing two suitcases just in case she ended up needing to stay longer.

"Piper!" she yelled across the apartment.

Piper came sliding around the corner with her fluffy socks. "What's up, babe?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes at Piper's cuteness. "Will you be my date to the airport tomorrow?"

"Sure," Piper said. "What time?"

Annabeth thought for a second. "I should probably be there no later than 7am."

"Okay," Piper said with a bright smile. "Oh, uh, did you hear about Rachel?"

Annabeth kept packing her bags, feigning uniterest. It probably involved Percy. "No."

"Well," Piper began softly, "she got shot yesterday night."

Annabeth stopped folding her shirts. "What?"

Piper sat down on Annabeth's bed. "They took her to the hospital, but she hasn't woken up yet. She had major head trauma."

"Oh," Annabeth said as she patted down a stack of shirts into her suitcase.

 _Rachel got shot._ It was this kind of stuff that made Annabeth have less and less faith in the world.

Rachel, of all people, didn't deserve to have that happen to her. She was so sweet and kind and loving — it was unfair.

Piper's voice brought her back. "So, Annabeth, did you, uh, talk to Percy recently?"

Annabeth clenched the blouse she was folding, creating crinkles in the perfectly ironed shirt. "Piper, we talked about this."

"I know," Piper said, though she leaned away a little. "But, Annabeth..."

Annabeth cut her off. "Piper."

Piper ignored her. "Annabeth, you and Percy _belong_ together. I know that for a fact. You won't admit it, but I _know_ it's true. Annabeth, I saw you guys—"

"No, Piper. Just no," Annabeth said, almost yelling. "Piper, I love you, but this... this isn't something I can deal with. You don't understand what you saw, okay? So, please, just go."

Annabeth swallowed, a lump forming in her throat.

No one understood. They never would because they didn't live through what she did. They didn't feel the pain. They didn't have to make those choices.

Piper stared at her, mouth still open.

Annabeth looked away.

Piper shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'll go. Uh, I'll ask Silena to drive you to the airport."

Piper closed the door softly as she stumbled out of the room.

Annabeth curled up into a ball on the floor, rocking back and forth as the tears fell.

Everyone she'd ever loved she'd pushed away. She hurt the people she was around. Maybe it _was_ better for her to stay away from the people she loved most.

* * *

 **Percy POV**

 **Timeskip a week**

Percy shuffled in his seat.

Stupid ADHD.

He stared at the girl with the red hair asleep in the hospital bed a few feet away.

Her heart monitor beated steadily. It had been for days now.

They said it was just a minor coma — a week at most hopefully. Hopefully.

Percy baried his head in his arms, running his hands through his hair.

He felt like he'd been sitting here for centuries. Maybe he had been.

He couldn't tell the time anymore. Hours passed like seconds sometimes, and other times they passed like years. It was impossible to tell. Night and day had become indistinguishable to Percy as he sat under the judgement of the cold bright lights of the hospital.

He thinks he's been home at least twice in the past week to shower, but that's it. He feels gross.

Time had become completely irrelevant as Percy wallowed in his emotions.

There was a sharp breath from the red-haired girl in the bed.

Percy snapped up to his feet, pressing the button for the nurse.

He hurried to the bedside, grabbing her hand.

She coughed heavily as her eyes flickered open.

Percy smiled as his eyes went glassy.

A nurse came, forcing him to move away, but he just smiled through his tears at the idea of the bright green orbs he could meet again.

But as he finally met her eyes, they were glassy and dull with pain and exhaustion, and it broke Percy — because it was his fault.

He made her like this.

He loved her for the brightness she reflected on him, and yet he had been the one to take that away from her — because he wanted it, because he was selfish.

Percy retreated to his chair, not wanting to meet her eyes.

He'd caused her so much pain because he couldn't be there.

Instead, his last conversation with her was about his ex-fiancée.

Percy got up, leaving the room. He couldn't be around her now.

He walked through the hallways blankly, turning random corners, going in circles, up and down elevators, downstairs, upstairs. He needed to get away for one second — away from this life, this painful world.

" _Percy!"_ her voice rang through his head. _"Stop walking away. You're such a coward, Percy Jackson! You can't even face your own damn life!"_

She was right. He was a coward. He hated facing the reality of the cruelty of this world. The people it took away from him — it wasn't fair.

But he could try to be there. He could stop being a coward. He could at least try to be there for _her_.

Percy turned on his heel, racing through the twisting hallways looking, looking for Room 627.

 _Rachel._

Percy stumbled into the room where she now sat up, half-awake.

"Rachel," he stuttered.

She looked up at him with her glassy eyes, and Percy almost turned back.

But they reminded him of why he was here.

She smiled, and spoke, "Hi."

Percy smiled. "Hi."

"Thank you so much, Percy," she said quietly.

"For what?"

"For taking care of me."

Percy laid his hand over hers gently. "You deserve so much more."

She smiled. "Percy?"

Percy looked up from their hands. "Yeah?"

"Will you stay with me?" she asked.

Percy's heart leaped. "Of course."

She smiled. "Thank you. It's just— I don't want to involve my parents. Besides, they're gone on vacation who knows where."

Percy smiled. "I get it."

She laid back on her pillow.

"Rach, I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for you," he said shakily, his eyes glassy.

Rachel reaches a hand out to cup his cheek. "It's not your fault, Percy."

"Okay," Percy said quietly, the knot in his stomach softening up a little.

Rachel smiled. "I'm glad your okay."

Percy smiled and in that moment, he thought it, and he said, "Rachel, I think — I think I want to marry you."

* * *

 **Again, Percy? What even! Come on, Percy, why you gotta be so dumb!**

 **Thanks for reading and pls pls pls review review review! Yay!**

 **I'm dying for Percabeth to return!**

 **Happy New Year,**

 **tea-made-bean**


	8. Running

**Hi y'all!**

 **(on second thought, I'm not all that into the word y'all...)**

 **Anyway, I'm back with another chapter, so yay!**

 **Also guys, we made it to 45 followers! (I know that's not a lot, but to a baby of a fanfic writer, that's like major goals...**

 **Anyway, thank you all for being so supportive, and I would love to hear your feedback on the story!**

 **I'm very impressed with muself for getting this chapter out in a week! I like literally didn't even know what I was going to write in this chapter like 24 hours ago.**

 **Anyway, it's kinda a shorter chapter... but don't be confused about all the time stuff because it's kind of wacked up since I'm covering the same time period from two perspectives in two chapters... anyway, sorry about that, but for now, enjoy the story!**

* * *

 **Seven.**

 **Running**

 **Annabeth POV**

Annabeth walked quickly down the sidewalk, hurrying into a random café.

The little café was mostly empty besides a few random people sitting at some of the tables with their books and computers.

She hurried to the cash register. "Hi," she said a little breathlessly. "Could you get me a large iced coffee with coconut milk and two pumps of hazelnut. Oh, and a… ham croissant sandwich please?"

The lady at the register nodded. "Uh, yeah. That'll be, uh, nine dollars and fifty-seven cents, please."

Annabeth dug through her purse hurriedly, dumping the change out in the lady's hand.

She stood impatiently at the counter, tapping her fingers as she waited for her food.

The door jingled.

A middle-aged man in brown slacks, a white shirt, and a well-fitted khaki-colored blazer entered in,

His face was grizzled and tired-looking, and a pair of reading glasses hung crookedly from his jacket pocket.

His brown leather shoes were freshly polished, somewhat like his dark blonde hair.

Annabeth stopped, nearly dropping the drink the lady was handing her.

The man didn't look her way, and Annabeth slowly backed away, her drink and sandwich held in a shaky hand.

The man turned her way, his eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

Annabeth met his eyes slowly. "Frederick," she said emotionlessly.

He walked over hesitantly to where she stood, frozen. "Annabeth?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's me."

He didn't say anything – just looked at her.

"How are you?" she asked slowly.

"Managing," he said weakly.

Annabeth took a sip of her coffee. "I see. I… didn't realize you'd moved to San Francisco."

Frederick's lips tightened. "Yes. There are a lot of... memories here."

 _Memories_. They both knew what he was talking about. Her mother. She used to own a house out here, and she'd bring Annabeth sometimes on her business trips to the city, and they'd walk along the water and go in the shops and-

They stood awkwardly for a moment, the whirring of the coffee machines the only sound.

"What brings you out here?" he asked tentatively.

 _My god_ , Annabeth thought. _He's not the man he used to be at all._

"Work," she said bluntly.

"I see."

Annabeth, seeing as this conversation wasn't going anywhere, tightened her grip on her paper bag, and started taking a step towards the door.

"Wait," her father pleaded.

She could hear the hints of desperation in his voice. She stopped mid-step, waiting.

"Wait," he said more quietly. "Can we talk?"

Annabeth froze. " _Talk?_ " she asked with a hint of irony in her voice.

"Yes," her father said. "Talk. We haven't talked in so long."

Annabeth didn't say anything, waiting.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Annabeth sighed turning around. "Fine. Let's talk. But, frankly, I'm not really sure what there is to talk about."

Her father's shoulders slumped. "I understand."

"No," Annabeth cut him off. "You probably don't. But I have to go to work right now. We can talk later. Just email me."

Annabeth turned away from her father's sunken face as hurried out the café.

She hurried down the bleak sidewalk, calling for a cab.

The yellow car pulled to the sidewalk, and she hopped in. She could practically feel his eyes following her desperately.

All that desperation after all these years. It humored Annabeth to think that he felt _bad_ about this now. In fact, she was almost so insane at this point she thought she almost laughed when he asked to talk. It scared her – the maniacal coldness that was beginning to creep into her soul. It'd started just as a wall – a persona to take on to shield herself, but it was seeping into her now. She could feel it.

She swallowed, getting out of the taxi in front of the building that housed Hermes' Shipping Co.

She blinked a few times, letting her usual self fade back in comfortably.

Then, sighing, she strutted into the building, forming an air of confidence and prestige around her.

She got in the elevator heading to the twenty-seventh floor that housed the conference room they were working in today.

She entered the office, greeted by the receptionist, Martha.

Annabeth smiled cordially in return as she made her way to the back offices.

Opening the door to the conference room, she was greeted by a group of five or so other architects.

Annabeth placed her bag down on one of the chairs. "Good morning."

She was returned with a chorus of, "Good morning, Annabeth," or "Hey," or "Hello," or, on the occasion of a little intern, a meek, "Good morning, Ms. Chase."

She seated herself at the head of the table, pulling out her Surface Book to begin work.

"So," she said sternly, "I presume that all of you completed your work?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good," she said. "Today, we're going to be covering the foundations and we're going not go scope out the actual plot later today. Julie, do you have the information on that from Martha?"

Julie, one of the younger architects working on the project as one of her first jobs, nodded quickly. "Yes. I believe that we're scheduled to be taken to the plot at 1:45pm today and escorted by Mr. Luke."

There were a couple blushes from around the table. Whoever _Luke_ was, he was obviously very popular at the company.

Annabeth nodded. "Good. Then, I expect us to get a lot of work done in the next few hours. Let's begin with the plot dimensions…"

A few hours later, Annabeth stretched her legs under the table, exhausted from being hunched over her computer, looking at 3D models.

She picked up her phone, checking the time. _1:32pm._

Annabeth stood up, closing her computer.

She left the conference room, heading for the bathroom.

The office was relatively quiet on the floor as most of it was meeting rooms.

Annabeth opened the door to the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror.

She took a deep breath, practicing her greeting smile.

She quickly fixed a few loose curls in the hair, replacing them in her neat low bun.

Then, swallowing, she carefully examined herself, noting her posture, her makeup, her outfit, her facial features.

Finally, she straightened up, washed her hands, and left the restroom.

When she returned to the conference room, everyone was already mostly packed up, ready to leave.

Annabeth nodded in acknowledgement to them, then grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

They rode the elevator in silence.

It was always awkward to Annabeth working with them.

All architects had such unique styles and preferences, it was a difficult team-up, but, ultimately, she was the one in charge.

Of the six architects in the elevator, she, by far, had worked on the biggest and most iconic projects.

But she was also on the younger side. At 28, she wasn't much that much older than the grad intern. In fact, the grad intern was probably equally qualified.

But Annabeth had worked her butt off for her career. Not every architect was successful – in fact, very few of them were – especially in the short amount of time that she was able to.

The lobby, a blond-haired man waited, leaning against the desk.

Annabeth straightened her navy blue and black pinstripe pencil skirt as she exited the elevator, heading towards the blond man.

As she neared the man, she nearly turned back and ran.

It was Luke. Luke _Castellan_. The guy she'd ditched in the middle of a date last week.

She took a deep breath calming herself, as she put on a smile.

"Luke," she said cordially.

"Annabeth!" he exclaimed.

Annabeth smiled cordially, but she shot him a look saying, _can we talk later?_ "Good to see you."

Luke gave her a slight nod, and Annabeth relaxed a little.

Luke turned to meet the group. "Hi, guys. I'm Luke Castellan as some of you may know. I guess I'm the one taking you to go see the plot today, so let's head out!"

Annabeth followed behind as he left the building, not particularly wanting to talk right now in front of her team.

Of course. Life hated her. Of course, Luke had to be here. Life _always_ worked out great for her.

They hopped in a large company SUV and the driver took them to the site.

As they drove, Luke gave a detailed explanation of what the plot was like and what its surroundings were like. But Annabeth wasn't really paying attention.

She was _slightly_ more concerned about the fact that she would have to explain to Luke what happened last time.

What was she going to tell him? That she realized that there was this other guy she kept thinking about, and she wanted to talk to her ex-fiance?

Annabeth squirmed in her seat – something she rarely did.

Her mind wandered for the rest of the afternoon.

Finally, when they returned to the building, Luke pulled her aside after everyone had gone.

"Hey," he said.

Annabeth swallowed. "Hi."

He led her to the nearest bench in the lobby.

She sat down shakily. "Look, Luke, I'm really sorry about what happened last time. It's just – something came up, and I needed to go."

That went just awful.

Luke smiled. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. Are you sure it's nothing you want to talk about?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah. I think it got mostly resolved."

"Okay," he said. "That's good."

"Yeah," she said. "So, I didn't realize that you were Hermes' son."

He laughed. "Yup. That would be me. But I didn't realize you were the head architect of the project."

Annabeth laughed. "That would be me."

They sat together, staring at the mostly empty lobby.

"Annabeth?" Luke asked.

Annabeth turned towards him. "Mmhmm?"

"Do you, you know, want to grab dinner sometime again?" he asked.

Annabeth swallowed. She was over it now, right? She should've been over it years ago.

"Yeah, actually. I'd love to," she said. "And, don't worry, I won't run away this time."

Luke smiled. "Good. I hope I'm not that repulsive."

Annabeth blushed. "Far from it."

Luke stood up. "Perfect. I'll pick you up from your hotel tomorrow at 7?"

"Sounds good," Annabeth said. "Good night, Luke."

"Good night, Annabeth."

* * *

Most of the next day was consumed with stressing about her date with Luke.

She barely heard anything her team suggested, and her mind wandered all day – to what outfit she should wear, to where he was taking her, to _him_ in general. His soft blue eyes, his loving personality – it was perfect.

When she finally got back to her hotel that evening, she was in a rush to get ready.

She hurriedly whipped through the clothes hanging in the hotel wardrobe, whipping out a pair of dark skinny jeans, a floral blouse, and a camel coat.

She slipped on her ankle boots and hurried downstairs.

In the lobby, a familiar blond man waited.

"Hey, you," he said. "You look beautiful."

Annabeth felt her cheeks grow warm. "Thank you."

Luke led her outside to the car. "So, how was work?"

"Good," Annabeth replied. "Though most of it I was thinking about you."

Luke laughed. "I hope it wasn't too repulsive then."

Annabeth smiled. "Just a little."

"I'm glad that's the case."

"So," Annabeth began as Luke started the car, "what have you got planned tonight?"

Luke smiled. "Dinner by the bridge."

Annabeth smiled. She loved the Golden Gate Bridge at dinnertime. "How'd you read my mind?"

Luke smiled. "A magician never reveals his secrets."

Luke pulled up to a restaurant, opening the door for Annabeth quickly.

"Thank you," she said.

Inside the restaurant, Luke had made sure they got a table that had a view of the water and the bridge, and, gods, it was so perfect.

Annabeth settled into her chair, content because she'd never had an experience like this – where she was so sure that things were going to go well – that things were stable. And she liked it.

After dinner, Luke took her back to her hotel, walked her to her room – he was the epidemy of chivalry.

As Annabeth stuck the key card into her hotel room lock, she turned toward Luke. "I had a really good night, Luke. Thank you."

Luke smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "Of course."

Annabeth turned to enter the room.

"Oh, and, Annabeth?" he said. Annabeth looked up. "If you ever want to talk, just call me, okay?"

Annabeth smiled, nodding. "Okay. Good night, Luke."

"Good night, Gray Eyes," he said.

Annabeth smiled at the nickname he'd come up for her as she settled down on the couch in her suite, pulling out her phone.

Her dad hadn't emailed her yet. She wasn't really surprised. He was a coward anyway - he'd always been one.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Annabeth kept herself busy with work and Luke took her out on a few more dates.

By this point, Annabeth was in love with her relationship – the stability, the perfection, the idealness of it.

It was to the point where she rarely even thought about New York these days.

Ever since she'd gotten mad at Piper, they hadn't really talked.

As much as Annabeth was disappointed by that because they'd been talking for the past fifteen years of her life nonstop, she was almost glad to have a break – a different outlook on life – a different perspective.

Annabeth sat at the conference table, her Surface Book open as she reviewed some plans for the foundations and final artistic sketches.

Her phone began to buzz incessantly.

It was Silena. She hadn't really talked to any of her roommates since she'd left, so she picked it up.

"Hello?"

" _Annabeth?"_ she asked.

"Yeah. Hey, Sil."

" _Oh my gods, Annabeth!"_ she squealed.

"What?"

" _Will you be one of my bridesmaids at my wedding?"_ she asked excitedly over the phone.

"Oh my gosh! No way!" Annabeth squealed. "Congratulations, Silena! I can't believe Beck finally proposed!"

" _I know! He just proposed yesterday night, so I had to call you this morning to ask!"_

"Of course, I'll be your bridesmaid, Sil!" Annabeth said.

" _Thank you so much, Annabeth! It means so much to me!"_ she said.

"Of course, Sil! You're one of my closest friends! Besides, you're going to have one of the most perfect fairy-tale weddings ever!"

 _"Awww, thank you!"_ she squealed.

"So, how is everyone?"

" _Oh, everyone's been so busy lately. Thalia and Piper are working all the time. Charlie is busy working all the time too. Jason is busy with his mom. Percy's been busy watching Rachel—oh, sorry,"_ she said quickly.

Percy was watching Rachel in the hospital?

Annabeth wasn't sure why, but it pissed her off that Percy was spending his every spare moment with Rachel.

She shook her head. She had Luke now, and she loved the relationship they were in.

"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it," Annabeth said quickly.

" _Alright. Anyway, everyone's just been_ so _busy. Even you, Annabeth! Except you're always busy, I think. Anyway, I have to go and shower before work, so I'll talk to you later, Annabeth!"_

"Alright. Bye, Sil," Annabeth said into the phone as she hung up.

 _Percy and Rachel, huh?_ She thought. _Who would've thought?_

She feels bad that she didn't get the chance to go visit Rachel in the hospital, but, at the same time, she's not sure if she could've handled seeing Percy very maturely, so maybe it was for the best that she didn't go after all.

A lot of things were better off when she wasn't involved.

* * *

 **Percy POV**

"Rachel, I – I think I want to marry you."

Rachel just stared at him.

Percy felt stupid. He wasn't sure what exactly compelled him to say something like that, but it came out of his mouth anyway.

But, for the record, he loved Rachel – he loved that she made him a better person. He saw a promising future with her.

The bright fluorescent hospital lights seemed to only make the situation harsher than it already was.

Rachel just stared at him with her big green eyes – the eyes that were normally so full of light and energy, but now, they looked back at him sadly. Percy could see the depths of emotion welling up behind her eyes.

"Rachel?" he whispered.

Her face twisted painfully as if all the thoughts in her head were going to make her head explode.

"Percy," she began quietly.

Percy looked up hopefully.

"Percy, look at me," she said. "Please."

Percy locked his eyes with hers, observing – no, getting sucked into her beautiful green orbs.

And for a moment, he felt a well of pain – a well of pain interspersed with warmth, but the pain and the heartache overcame him.

He pulled back from her eyes.

"Rachel," he said breathlessly.

She looked away, her eyes a little glassy.

"Rachel," he pleaded quietly.

"Percy, I… I love you," she said.

Percy rejoiced, but he didn't feel as happy as he wanted to – at least not watching her in this pain.

"But, Percy," she said, "I can't do this knowing—"

She faltered.

"Rachel?" Percy asked. "Knowing what?"

She didn't respond.

She looked away, rubbing her eyes with the crinkly sleeves of her green hospital gown, leaving random wet splotches on the gown's sleeve.

"Knowing that you belong with her," she said finally, her voice both sure and shaky all at once.

"With who?" Percy asked, though he felt he know the answer.

"Annabeth."

* * *

 **Wow! I'm done!**

 **Just a note: judging by how things are going right now, it's probably gonna be a pretty short story (bc let's be honest — i'm impatient). I'm looking at maybe twelve chapters, but we'll see how things go. It could be ten or it could be fifteen...**

 **Thanks so much for reading and please review!**

 **Can't wait for percabeth!**

 **Love ya,**

 **tea-made-bean**


	9. Forgetting

**Heelo!**

 **I'm back with another chapter relatively soon!**

 **Also, I have to apologize that my posts have been so random lately... it really just depends how busy I am...**

 **Anyway, I have some amazing reviewers to thank!**

 **To the Guest who reviewed: thank you! Also, hopefully your question should be answered in this chapter. And, omg, you're right - thank goodness she said no!**

 **Next, to Pandaknots: omg, your review was so sweet - I literally wanted to cry. And yes, I hope Percabeth can figure things out soon too! (And of course they can because they're the power couple of the century...)**

 **And then, last but not least, Jamesmeyor (Guest): I'm sorry! I know that was a very cruel way to end the chapter! Thank you so much for your compliments (they were really sweet), and here is your awaited next chapter!**

 **You guys make my day whne I see these reviews and I love them!**

 **Oh, and notable news, we are now at more than 50 follows!**

 **Thanks you to all these followers and favoriters!**

 **But for now, read on!**

* * *

 **Eight.**

 **Forgetting**

 **Percy POV**

"What?" Percy asked stupidly.

Rachel looked away. "Percy… I—I just don't think that—"

"No," Percy interrupted. "I—I heard you. You don't... have to say it again."

Rachel didn't respond.

Percy's heart pounded in his chest, making it hard to breathe – like water filling his lungs. The walls closed in around him, suffocating him. He released slow, heavy breaths.

"Rachel?" he asked shakily.

She looked at him, dark circles around her puffy, green eyes.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why what, Percy?" she said softly, a tinge of regret lacing her voice.

"Why do you think I belong with – with her?"

She rearranged herself on her hospital bed. "Percy, I knew about your engagement for a long time. I heard about it early on. Word travels fast in this friend group."

 _She knew?_ Percy thought. _Why'd she want to be with me then, knowing that I had that kind of relational baggage?_

Rachel continued. "Percy, I loved you anyway. I still do. But – when I saw you and her in the same room – I couldn't deny the way you looked at her and the way she looked at you. Behind all the hate in your eyes, there was some sort of long-buried hope – and I couldn't ignore that that was there."

Percy wanted to protest, but no words could leave his mouth as he absorbed what Rachel was saying.

"Besides, Percy, Annabeth and I have been friends since high school. I don't want to ruin my relationship with her if she needs to be with you." She paused. "And, maybe you don't see it now, Percy, but I see it. I see the way you stare at her. I see it so _clearly_ in the way she looks at you. And, maybe, you were just too young – you didn't understand each—"

"And _what_ might you understand, Rachel?" Percy asked quietly, an edge to his voice.

"Maybe I don't understand you entirely, Percy," she began cautiously. "But, Percy, I see things from a different perspective. I'm not in the middle of things like you two. I can see what's happening from a… bird's eye almost."

"But, Rach, you _don't_ understand," Percy said desperately. "I don't _have_ any feeling for Annabeth anymore – at least not anything but hate. I was finally moving on, and here you are – telling me I _belong_ with her?! You don't know a damn thing about how I feel about her!"

Rachel shrunk back a little, her eyes full of pain, and for a moment Percy felt a smidgen of regret, but it faded amongst his raging thoughts.

"Maybe you're right," Rachel said calmly. "Maybe I don't understand, but Percy, you don't either. I think you just need to sort things out. I _know_ I'm not helping with that, and so, if it's for your betterment, I'm willing to let you go."

Percy was on the edge of desperation. "But, Rachel, _you_ made me a better person. I could feel it every time I was around you. The energy, the spirit, the life – all of it."

"But that light that you think you see, it's blinding you more than it's helping," she said quietly, gripping her blankets.

"No," Percy whispered. "It — it was making me a better person. I'm so sure."

"I wish it was. But you need to figure things out, okay? Without me complicating things."

Percy sunk down into one of the hospital chairs, letting the tense beeping of the heart monitor become the only sound.

He swallowed. "Okay." Rachel looked up at him. "I'll—I'll leave. But I just want you to know that I don't like Annabeth anymore. She broke up with me in a way that no one should deserve. I still love you, Rachel, but, if that's what you want, I'll do it."

Rachel looked so pained that Percy almost wanted to forget everything that had been said, but her let her go.

"Percy?" she asked quietly, meeting him with teary eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want you to move on just for me. Do it for you too. Please?" she said, her face twisted with pain and exhaustion.

Percy thought for a moment. "I'll try. I promise."

Rachel smiled a tired smile. "Thank you."

Percy stood up, knowing this was his cue to leave.

As he walked out the door, he looked back one more time at her, and he stopped for just one second.

"Percy?" she asked again.

Percy smiled softly at her, trying to absorb every detail of her – even in her red-eyed, teary, exhausted state.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Percy's eyebrows crinkled. "For what?"

A smile tugged at Rachel's lips through the tears. Percy loved that – that she was always smiling.

"Just for being with me."

Percy turned back towards the door. "Of course," he said quietly. "I wish I could always be there for you."

He didn't think Rachel heard him, but that was okay. He knew that in his heart – that was all that mattered.

But it turned out that she had something to see to herself too. Something that she probably didn't think she heard. Percy almost barely heard it, but he was positive she said it.

"Go chase her."

Percy's body stiffened in an attempt to restrain his emotions.

He almost laughed at the pun in the midst of his inability to process his feelings. _Go_ chase _her_. _Annabeth_ Chase. But it was most definitely more like his inability to emotionally process the situation was causing him to want to laugh at all at this less-than-laughable situation.

This situation he'd gotten himself into twice now.

It seemed at this rate that this would always be the case.

He walked down the mostly deserted halls of the hospital wing. It was past midnight now, and most visitors were home.

The pristine white floors and walls seemed to blot out all other life from the world, leaving him alone in his mess of emotion – struggling, but trying to forget.

He was leaving for deployment for Greece in a week. He'd be gone for ten months there. He'd been disappointed before that he'd have to leave Rachel, but now, that seemed okay with him. He was getting the chance to just run away – to get away from these problems that seemed to constantly chase him.

And maybe he was coward, but sometimes the best way to move on is to forget.

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Annabeth fell back onto her bed.

She was staying temporarily now in a small apartment in San Francisco since the project was requiring her to be around more often than she had anticipated.

Her dress rode up her legs, itching her, but she just lay happily on her bed, thinking about Luke.

He'd been consistently taking her out now, and she _loved_ it.

This _was_ the dream life she'd always imagined. It was perfect. Absolutely. Everything was in place. It was organized – playing out perfectly. What more could she want?

Annabeth scrolled through her email.

One email stood out among the rest. _Frederick Chase._

Annabeth's finger hovered warily over it, her breath stopped.

She lightly tapped on it.

 _Dear Annabeth_ , it began, _I hope you're doing well, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to contact you._

 _No duh_ , she thought bitterly.

 _I wanted to know_ , he continued, _if you'd be willing to meet for lunch with me tomorrow at 1pm? I would really like to see you. Please let me know._

 _Dad_

Annabeth paused at the last word, gripping her phone tightly. _Dad_. A three-letter word with three million meanings behind it. And he dared to call himself her father. A dad was someone who _loved_ you, _cared_ for you, _respected_ you – and she saw none of these things from him — ever.

She tossed the phone off to the side.

If she went, she'd have the chance of possibly hearing him out.

But if she didn't go, she'd just have to live the rest of her life the way it was now.

And, frankly, she liked the way her life was now. There wasn't any drama. No relationship issues. Things were going well. That is, besides her relationship to Piper.

In hindsight, coming to San Francisco was one of the best escapes Annabeth had ever made. Deep down, she might've known that it was wrong of her ignore her friends, knowing that one-way relationships didn't work out, but she'd felt freer here than she'd ever felt in New York – that was one thing she couldn't deny about moving here.

But, Piper, they'd been together since sophomore year through everything. They'd been there during every momentous moment of each other's lives. Sweet sixteen, moving to college, 21st birthday, Annabeth's engagement – they'd been through it all. And Annabeth missed her deep down. But Piper knew she crossed a line more than enough times, and if there was one thing Annabeth hated was forgiving for no reason because that meant she was wrong for no reason – and being wrong hurts, and, in this situation, Piper was the one wrong.

Annabeth picked her phone back up.

She should go see her dad.

Annabeth hated taking risks because there were chances of mistakes, but this wasn't how Annabeth wanted to live her life.

She didn't want her dad to die one day, and her not feel an ounce of emotion – because at this rate, that was where this was going – and it scared her.

Annabeth hurriedly responded yes to her dad.

She threw her phone back on her bed, basking in the silence as she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

Annabeth hurried into the restaurant, her heels clicking on the marble floors.

 _I thought we couldn't afford stuff like this anymore_ , she thought as she examined the Michelin Star restaurant.

A waitress led her to her father, and she sat down, smiling cordially at him.

He looked exhausted—even more so than the time she saw him at the café. It looked like the world was bearing down on him, crushing his soul to the last piece of dust.

Annabeth pursed her lips. "Hello."

Frederick looked up at her with his sunken eyes. "Annabeth."

Annabeth stared at him, her mouth partially open. "What happened to you?"

He diverted his eyes – almost in shame. "Things… have been… difficult."

Annabeth looked at him like that was the stupidest thing anyone had ever said. "It's written all over your face. I could've seen it from a mile away."

She sighed, taking a sip of her ice water.

"Annabeth," her father sad desperately. "Can we please talk?"

Annabeth adjusted herself in her seat, pretending to ignore him momentarily. "We're talking right now."

Frederick's hands gripped his ice water so tight, Annabeth thought the glass was going to shatter.

"You know what I'm talking about," he said pleadingly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Of course, I do." She paused. "But let me tell you that if you wanted to talk about _that_ , you should've started talking about twenty years ago." Her dad opened his mouth, but Annabeth put her hand out. "And before you say anything – know that you owe me one hell of an explanation why _this_ ," she gestured between them, "even happened. And, frankly, I don't think you're capable of giving me a good one."

She stopped, closing her mouth tightly.

He stared, his eyebrows creased in pain. "I do owe you an explanation."

Annabeth raised her eyebrows expectantly. "Yes, you do."

He visibly swallowed. "Losing… _her_ was—"

"Say it," Annabeth challenged. "Say it and prove to me you're not a coward."

He shrunk uncomfortably under the pressure she was putting on, but she wanted to hear him _say_ her name out loud for once. The name she hadn't heard escape his lips for twenty years.

"Losing… _Athena_ ," he said shakily, "was one of the most painful things in my life. She – she meant the world to me. And, she grounded me. And, when she passed, you were a constant reminder to me of her – the one person I couldn't bear to see again. Once she left, everything began slowly falling apart. My work, my family, my health – everything. And, it was… so hard to be around you when every day, you were just becoming more and more like her."

Annabeth scoffed. "And you would let that get in the way of your daughter's happiness." Her voice was rising. "You do know that because _you_ made that decision, our relationship was ruined forever." Frederick nodded, shrinking away. "I was _seven_ , Frederick. _Seven._ You left your _seven_ -year-old daughter who already lost a mother, completely and utterly fatherless too. I raised _myself_. Thank the gods for the household staff because if it weren't for them, I would've had no parenting _at all_." She breathed heavily. "And you can't even take fault for that?"

She was panting, the emotions pouring out of her. People in the restaurant stared both annoyed and curious, but Annabeth could care less about what they thought.

"And, instead," she continued, slightly more quietly, "you brought that _monster_ of a woma into my life. You know, for a long time I' ve waited for this day in hopes that you would regret every single breath yiu took for the rest of your life."

"I—" Frederick began. "I do regret it." Annabeth nodded him on. "And, I'm sorry I was such an awful father to you – that I could never be there for you… when you needed me. And I'm — I'm so beyond sorry."

His voice was shaky – unsure almost.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him, analyzing and judging his words, but her heart – it was full overflowing with emotion – pain, joy, anger – all of it.

She rubbed at her eyes, concealing her tears.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Her dad looked at her as if the weight of the world had just been taken off his shoulders.

And, in all her years, Annabeth had never felt more like she had more power – because there was so much power in those two simple words that could change _everything._ It was a strength she'd never realized was in communication.

She smiled tightly, her eyes glassy. "I'm happy to know you cared about me," she said quietly. "I'm still going to have a hard time accepting this, forgiving you, and trying to rebuild this relationship into something more permanent, but I'm glad that I came."

Her dad smiled, wrinkles creasing around his eyes. "Me too." He dug his hand in his jacket pocket. "Um, Annabeth."

Annabeth blinked the water away from her eyes. "Yes?"

"I… I wanted to give you something," he said, pulling out a chain.

He handed it to Annabeth, and she just stared.

She carefully ran her fingers across the silver band, feeling the corners of the diamonds.

"It was your mother's."

Annabeth stared at it, wordless. "It's beautiful."

"She loved it so much," he said reminiscently. "I think she would've wanted you to have it."

Annabeth looked up at him, her eyes truly glassy now. "Thank you. It means so much to me to have a piece of her left."

"Of course," he said.

She clasped the necklace around her neck, fingering the ring where it hung.

"Annabeth," her father began tentatively.

"Yes?" Annabeth said, busy observing the last remnant of her mother.

"About your, uh, engagement," he started.

Annabeth let go of the ring, pursing her lips dangerously. "It fell through – no thanks to you and Helen of course."

Her dad looked pained. Annabeth did too. After all, they were just beginning to start to figure things out. But, then again, she hadn't forgiven him yet.

"I'm… really sorry about that. If you were happy with him, I should've let you be," he said guiltily.

Annabeth shook her head, her eyes narrowed. "It's fine. We haven't really talked much lately anyway. Besides, we've both moved on now."

"Oh," her father said. "I see."

"It was mostly Helen," Annabeth said bluntly. "After all, she did practically threaten to make my life hell – as if it wasn't already."

Her father shrunk back at the mention of Helen's name so crudely. "I – I didn't know."

Annabeth nearly snorted. "Obviously."

He looked hurt. "I wish I could've said something to her about it."

"Well, it seemed she said enough things to you to convince you to – let's see – _marry_ her in the first place, let her control the finances and the house, let her treat me like trash, let her call off my engagement, and a lot of other stuff you're probably not even aware of."

"Oh," was all her father had to say.

"I have to go back to work," Annabeth said straightly.

Her father nodded, obviously a little disappointed.

Annabeth stood up, grabbing her purse.

As she turned away, she blinked, clenching her fists to hold back the tears as she whispered, fingering her mother's ring, "But, I forgive you."

* * *

 **Time skip – About One Year**

Annabeth knocked on the door, paper bag held tightly in her hand.

She tapped her foot for a few seconds, waiting until the lock clicked open.

"Hey, babe," she said, smiling.

Luke smiled, letting her in.

He looked miserable.

He'd been sick for days now, so Annabeth had been taking care of him, bringing him soup, medicine, checking in on him everyday.

Annabeth placed the paper bag on the counter. "I brought you soup."

"Thanks," Luke said, his voice tired and rough. "You're the best."

"Anything for you," Annabeth said, giving him a side hug.

Luke laughed a little but burst out coughing immediately.

Annabeth sat down on the couch, pulling out her phone. "How are you feeling? You look just awful."

Luke nodded. "Okay, I guess. Better now that you're here."

Annabeth smiled. "Oh, I just got the invitation for Aphrodite's Valentine's Day Gala that's happening in three weeks. Do you want to come with me?" Annabeth asked. "I've gone with Piper every year now, but… you know."

Things with Piper still hadn't been resolved really.

They'd talked of course, but not often, and they hadn't discussed the fight they'd gotten in.

Annabeth knew it was stupid that they were still fighting over something so small, but Annabeth _knew_ that Piper knew better.

Besides, she'd probably going to go with Jason this year.

"Yeah. I'll come," Luke said.

"Perfect," Annabeth said. "Thanks, babe. Uh, it's gonna be in New York on Saturday, the 16th. Are you free then?"

Luke looked up thoughtfully for a second. "Yeah. I don't see why not."

"Okay." Annabeth said, standing up to go use the restroom.

She quickly used the restroom, then got up to wash her hands when it occurred to her Luke was out soap.

She rolled her eyes, opening drawers and cabinets to look for some extras.

Finally, she found the soap bottles, in the cabinet under the sink.

As she dug for one, a small black box caught her eye.

Before she could control her own hands, she reached out, fingering the small box, running her fingertips over the velvety casing.

She swallowed, looking behind her as if Luke could've been in the bathroom behind her, then she opened it warily.

She stared at in with wide eyes, her brain unable to process her emotions.

 _Luke was going to propose_.

* * *

 **Omg, I feel like I'm literakly writing the exact same story from before again!**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Be prepared for Percabeth beginning to return next chapter (I think)!**

 **Anyways, pls pls pls review!**

 **See you next time!**

 **Love ya,**

 **tea-made-bean**


	10. Mistakes

**Hi guys...**

 **really important note: _THIS IS AN UPDATED CHAPTER NINE!_**

 **This is _not_ the chapter nine that was posted on 1/24/19. **

**So, last time, due to writer's block and a lack of ideas, inspiration, etc., I wrote a kinda crappy chapter. I just want to apologize for that first because I don't think its fair for writer's to post bad chapters if they can do a little better. I was also struggling with how to end this story, and that's wh ythings took such an abrupt, awkward turn last time.**

 **But, I got some reviews, and while they were critical, I found some of their criticism helpful.**

 **So, I first want to respond to their reviews before I do anything else (also, if you reviewed in chapter eight, and I responded in the original chapter nine, I'm sorry, but those are gone from this updated version):**

 **To Hi Im Manu** **: well, this was a really long review, so I'll break it up**

\- I really appreciate you taking the time to write that much

\- In hindsight, I really wasn't happy with how that chapter turned out, so I guess your review encouraged me to rewrite

\- This story is my first story, so I'm definitely still figuring things out, however, I don't want that to be a big excuse. I do agree with you that there are a lot of things that could've gone better, and hopefully I can apply that to my next story. However, I really disliked how the previous chapter nine turned out, and I didn't really want the story to take that turn so suddenly

\- I did take some of your ideas that I could manage to work into this chapter into consideration, and I did find some of them helpful

\- in any case, I'm sorry to disappoint, but I really appreciate getting some criticism

\- in this chapter, there are some things that you will probably disagree with as being better, but I'm planning on resolving things differently in the chapters to come, so I hoep you can excuse me for that

\- this story is coming to an end (and I think I was getting desperate for it to end last time), so things will have to clear up soon for Percy and Annabeth

 **To alpha (guest)**: if there was anything that you were curious about, I would read the review response above as you had similar issues

 **Anyway, back to other things...**

 **So, hopefully this chapter is a little better than the last one...**

* * *

 **Nine.**

 **Mistakes**

 **Percy POV**

" _Is this Captain Perseus Jackson?"_ a voice said on the other line.

Percy narrowed his eyes. "Yes, sir."

" _Good. This is Lieutenant Brunner. It is my greatest sorrow to inform you of the loss of Charles.."_

His voice faded into the background.

 _Charlie_.

Gone.

Percy slammed his fist down on his bunk, creating small fissures in the wood.

He hung up the phone, respect out the window.

If he had been there.

Had he been there…

 _Beck's dark eyes were tear-stricken as he screamed._

 _Fire blew in bellows around him._

 _Beck twisted with the wires, yelling at Percy._

 _Percy's feet didn't budge._

 _Men in black balaclava's came after them, guns pointed._

" _The ship!" Beckendorf's yelp came reining through. "Get off the ship! Now!"_

 _Percy shook his head, his tears mixing with dirt._

 _His mouth was dry, his throat coarse with dirt and ash._

" _Go!" Beck yelled. "Please…" he begged. "Say hello to Sil, okay?"_

 _Something flew at Percy from Beckendorf, and Percy caught it mindlessly, stuffing it into his pocket at the feeling of the metal band._

 _Percy ran towards the men coming at them in a heated flurry._

 _But Percy knew it was coming. Too fast._

 _Percy ran through the ship, searching for Beck frantically._

 _The engine caught fire._

 _Percy ran._

 _He jumped over board, screaming into his com, "Mission aborted! Aborted! Status of Beck unknown!"_

 _He hit the water as the debris began to fall, hitting the water._

 _Muted screams filled his ears as he sunk, closing his eyes to the sounds._

Percy buried his head in his hands.

He'd lost enough friends in his short life.

He shook his head, tears flying from his eyes.

F the whole damn world.

 _Silena._

She'd be devastated.

He needed to see her as soon as possible. As soon as he could face her.

If he had been there…

He stood up from his bunk, tossing his military duffel over his shoulder.

His heavy boots clunked across the empty bunk's floors.

Some new kid outside the door saluted him.

Percy ignored him.

He walked slowly towards the deck of the ship.

Each of his steps felt like another world falling on his shoulders.

The stairs seemed taller, the ceilings lower, and the world a little darker.

Percy trudged up the stairs to the deck, the sound of helicopters beginning to flood his ears.

At the top deck, a man in a neon orange construction jacket waved him to the helicopter.

Percy reluctantly tossed his bag on board as he hoisted himself onto the helicopter.

He pushed away the reluctant fears of flying as he took a seat by himself.

The helicopter took off, leaving Percy alone with his thoughts.

Special Ops weren't really his thing. He'd always been better with a larger team.

He needed to stop making excuses.

He leaned back as far as he could in the hard seats as he drifted into a fitful sleep.

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Annabeth rolled her suitcase into the small hotel closet.

There was a knock on the door — somewhat similar to the pounding in her head.

She turned aside, opening the door.

Luke was standing outside.

"Hey, babe," she said groggily. "How's the room?"

He shrugged. "Same as yours."

Annabeth nodded, returning to her suitcase.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure. Why not."

Luke nodded slowly, entering the room and sitting down on the bed.

"Are you okay?" he asked tentatively.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Her head hurt from the plane ride, and she wasn't really in the mood to be dealing with him right now. "Yeah. I'm fine. Stop worrying so much about me."

"Oh, okay," Luke said, a little shocked. "I didn't realize it was wrong of me to ask you if _you were okay_."

Annabeth sighed, throwing down the shirt she was hanging up. "God, chill out. I didn't mean it that way."

"Sure sounded like it," Luke muttered.

"Look," Annabeth said, gritting her teeth, which was frankly making her head hurt more. "I feel like a hole is getting drilled in my head right now, so it would do you good to just leave me alone for a little."

Luke scoffed. "I was just asking if you were okay, okay? I wasn't trying to piss you off."

"I know _that_. Obviously," Annabeth retorted.

"Well, you didn't make that very clear," Luke said.

"Great," Annabeth scoffed. "We can't spend more than twenty-four damn hours together without you constantly nagging me. If I'm such a _horrible_ person, why do you want to sit in my room!?"

Luke pulled away. "Geez, calm down, sorry."

Annabeth shook her head, scrunching up the shirt she was holding, knuckles white. "You know what, I'm gonna go get some air."

She turned around pushing out of the hotel room.

As the door closed, she could hear Luke cursing under his breath.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. Damn it.

She got in the elevator, tapping her foot slowly to the music.

Stupid. She was stupid.

She got mad at Luke over a stupid question.

She couldn't go back.

He was being inconsiderate. Right?

She sighed as the elevator doors opened and she stepped out of into the chilly New York evening air.

She hailed a cab.

Getting in the driver asked, "Where to?"

Annabeth had no idea. _New York, New York…_ _What kind of addresses did she know in New York City._ "Uh, just take me to The Parthenon Tower," she said at last.

"Alrighty," the man said.

Annabeth nodded, leaning her chin against the window.

The city lights moved in a blur.

She was an idiot. Stupid. Stupid Luke.

The cab let her off at The Parthenon Tower, and she hurried out.

She stopped on the sidewalk though, realizing she had no idea where she was going.

Annabeth fiddled with the hem of her sweatshirt, checking her phone for nearby cafes.

"Annabeth?" a girl's voice asked.

Annabeth looked up at the green—no, brown—no, blue—wait, no, gold eyes. The kaleidoscope eyes. Those eyes.

"Piper?" she asked breathlessly.

Piper looked up sheepishly. "Hey."

"Oh. Hi."

"Uh," Piper begin nervously. "Do you wanna grab coffee, maybe?"

Annabeth nodded slowly, still processing. "Uh, sure?"

Piper nodded. "Cool. There's a café in the building."

"I know," Annabeth said randomly.

"Right," Piper corrected.

They walked awkwardly in silence to the café, not meeting each other's eyes.

Annabeth let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding when she entered the place she'd once called home. To be in a familiar place — that was what she wanted more than anything right now.

She sat down at a table, ignoring the annoyed looks from the café manager.

"So," Piper started. "What brings you to The Parthenon Tower?"

"Uh, the gala," Annabeth responded.

Piper nodded. "Oh yeah. Forgot about that."

"How've you been?" Annabeth asked awkwardly, trying to fill the silence.

Piper's eyebrows scrunched. "Really?"

"Really what?" Annabeth asked.

"You've barely talked to _any_ of us, I see you on the street, and the best thing you can ask me is _how have you been_?" Piper said, an edge to her voice.

Annabeth wanted to apologize. So bad. "I—I didn't realize you wanted to talk to me."

Piper scoffed. "Obviously."

Annabeth shrank away from her angry friend.

"Annabeth," Piper said, her voice steadier. "Look, we missed you. _I_ missed you. So bad."

Annabeth nodded, swallowing. "I missed you too, Pipes."

Piper smiled a little. "Thanks. Now, where the hell have you been? If I hadn't already paid for the whole apartment, I would've dumped your stuff out on the street, you know."

Annabeth lips tugged at a smile. "Gee, thanks."

Piper laughed. "That's what best friends are for."

Annabeth smiled. "Still friends then?"

"Friends," Piper said. She stopped to think for a second. "But you owe everyone a _major_ apology for disappearing on us like that. I mean, who's gonna be our designated driver on girls' night out?"

Annabeth laughed. "Glad you missed me for something."

"Of course."

"Look, Piper," Annabeth said. "I'm really sorry about everything. I just— I really needed to get away from everything for a little. And, I guess it didn't go as well as it could've of, but the past ten months have been a nice change of scenery. But, I'm really sorry for leaving you hanging - especially on a bad note."

Piper smiled, her eyes glassy. "Love you, too. I'm sorry for pushing you that day. I felt awful about it the whole time you were gone, and I'm sorry and didn't reach out to apologize ever."

"It's okay."

"So, do you have a boyfriend?" Piper asked, smirking.

Annabeth sighed, remembering why she was even here. "Actually, about that… That's kinda why I was wandering the streets."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Annabeth said uncomfortably. "We don't normally fight, but it was over something _so_ stupid that I just—"

"Hey," Piper said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. You'll get it all together, girl."

Annabeth's lips formed a tight smile. "Thanks."

"Hey, do you want to go see your old room again? I think Haze and Sil are home right now too," Piper said.

Annabeth nodded. "I'd love too. I haven't seen either of them in forever. And now that Sil's getting married… I can't believe it."

"I know, right?" Piper squealed. "I'm _so_ excited for the wedding!"

Annabeth laughed. "Yeah. You're right."

And Annabeth remembered why she needed her friends so much.

* * *

Annabeth opened the door to her room.

Dust had settled in as a light coat over everything.

Silena and Hazel has been thrilled to see her— ambushing her with hugs, scoldings, and more hugs.

Annabeth was glad to be home.

She glided her fingers across the old desk, watching the dust disappear in streaks.

She opened blew the dust off an old picture frame in the shelf.

A little, blonde-haired girl with her mother, eating an ice cream cone at the Library of Congress— which was probably against the rules.

She sighed, turning away from the picture as she opened her desk drawer.

She picked up the thin metal band, rolling it between her fingers — feeling the little leaves and diamonds.

At least this relationship was going better, right?

"Annie?" Piper's voice asked from the door.

Annabeth looked up, clutching the ring in her palm.

Piper looked at her. "Is this about the boyfriend?"

Annabeth didn't answer.

Piper came over to where Annabeth was stood. "Hey," she said. "It'll be okay."

Annabeth nodded.

"Do you want to talk?" Piper asked.

Annabeth sunk down into the desk chair. "It's just that I really do love Luke — he's the boyfriend— but I constantly feel like we're fighting completely opposite wars. I know he loves me, I just don't think he understands me. Do you get what I mean?"

Piper nodded. "Yeah. It's just that — do you think that maybe he feels the same way?"

Annabeth squirmed in her seat. "I mean, I guess so. But I don't want to end this relationship. I love this relationship. It's so… stable, and, uh, Luke is really sweet."

Piper nodded, unconvinced.

Annabeth curled up in her chair, clutching the ring in her hand harder and harder.

"Annabeth," Piper started, gripping Annabeth's hand. "Tell me seriously: is it Luke that you love or the relationship?"

Annabeth was silent. Piper always asked the honest questions.

"Be honest with your self, Annie," Piper pushed.

Annabeth ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know."

Piper narrowed her eyes. "Ask yourself, Annabeth, do you—"

"I don't know, Pipes!" Annabeth interrupted, frustrated. "Okay? Maybe I _do_ like the damn relationship better than Luke, okay?"

Piper leaned back. "Okay. I'm sorry."

Annabeth shook her head. "It's fine."

She stood up, blinking away her tears of frustration. "I'm gonna go. I just, uh, need to think about it."

She _just_ got back, and she was already screwing things up. Things really were better without her.

* * *

 **Percy POV**

Percy stood before the door for longer than he wanted to.

Minutes ticked by slowly as he tapped his feet.

People with ADHD weren't meant to stand still for an hour.

Finally, he raised his hand to knock, them out it back by his side.

He sighed, taking his hat off, and holding it in his hand as he rehearsed his speech, twisting the ring between his fingers.

The doorknob twisted.

Percy stepped back.

The girl on the other side stopped.

Her eyes were red.

Her blonde hair frizzy.

Her sweatshirt wrinkled.

But she was still beautiful.

She stared at him in the eyes, her eyes glassy.

Percy could see the well of pain.

She straightened her back in her last-ditch effort to save face. Always appearances.

Her body shook.

Percy stared at her.

She took a step out of the apartment.

"Anna—" he said breathlessly.

Her lips were on his.

They were soft. What the hell.

She pushed him against the wall, his hat falling from his fingers.

He wrapped his arms around her, falling into the motions.

He closed his eyes.

Her tears rubbed on his face.

They were both so broken.

He lost himself in the moment, letting his hands do the work.

Until his foot stumbled on something. His fallen hat.

 _Beck._

She stumbled back.

He reached up to her face, wiping a tear away. "This isn't right, Ann—"

"Oh my god," she whispered. "I'm sorry. This is wrong. I just— I can't do this to…"

She trailed off.

She grabbed his hand suddenly, stuffing something into his.

Then she turned and ran.

Percy opened his hand. Little silver leaves and little diamonds. Little moments. Little things.

 _Little mistakes._

Percy stared at the hallway where she had run off. The elevator doors closing as she leaned her head against the walls of the elevator.

Percy ran.

Shoving his arm into the door.

She looked at him, her head still leaning against the wall.

"Come on," he said softly.

She reluctantly held the open button.

"I can't do this on my own," he whispered, his hand desperately pulling her. "Please," he begged, his eyes glassy.

She met his eyes, mirroring him.

"Silena will need you," he whispered, letting her feel the other ring in his hand. He paused. "You don't have to do this for me. Do it for her, okay?"

Annabeth nodded slowly. "Oh my god," she whispered. "Sil. _Her_ Charlie. Oh my god. _He's gone._ Isn't he? I don't..."

Percy nodded. "Yeah. _Gone._ For real. She's gonna need you."

Annabeth shook her head. "But… I haven't been there for her this past year. I—I can't help her. She has Hazel and Piper…"

Percy still held her arm desperately. "Maybe you can be here for her now, okay?"

Annabeth nodded as she let go of the open button, stepping out of the elevator.

"We don't have to talk about what happened right now," Percy said quietly.

Annabeth nodded shakily, taking slow, heavy breaths. "Right now, it's about them."

Percy nodded.

They walked to the door.

Percy raised his hand slowly, his hand hovering before the wood.

A hand touched his shoulder. He turned to face her.

"It's okay," she said softly.

Percy nodded. Those words. They were far more powerful than he thought.

Percy rapped his knuckles against the door.

The doorknob twisted on the other side.

Percy closed his eyes.

Annabeth squeezed his shoulder.

And as the door opened, he thought he heard her whisper, "I'm sorry… for everything I did to hurt you."

Percy smiled as he held the small ring in his hand.

* * *

 **Okay, so I hope that was better. I personally thought that this was at least a tiny bit better.**

 **In any case, I do promise that Annabeth will not be having an affair with Percy for ten bajillion chapters (essentially, an affair is not going to be the main part of the story's ending...).**

 **Beck and Silena's death in TLO makes me want to cry every single freaking time.**

 **Well, for now, peace out, and we'll see where chapter ten takes us... (hopefully somewhere better)...**

 **\- tea-made-bean**


	11. Building

**Hello dearest readers!**

 **Super Important Note Right Here: _I UPDATED CHAPTER_ _NINE!_**

 **So, basically, I updated chapter nine, so if you read the version that came out on 1/24/19, read it again! I updated it again on that Saturday, I think. So if you read it on Thursday, the 24th or Friday, the 25th, you should read it again because it's majorly different. I just really felt that the original chapter nine was crappy, so I rewrote it thanks to some inspirational reviews (that were not _that_ inspirational, but enough to make me want to actually finish this story and not completely give up!)**

 **To Hi Im Manu, I wrote your response in the updated chapter nine, but thank you for helping me remember to finish this better.**

 **To all my readers, favoriters, and followers: you guys got me this far, so thank you!**

 **Now, onto the story...**

* * *

 **Ten.**

 **Building**

 **Annabeth POV**

 **[A/N: I had to throw this in here just in case! read the note above! please! otherwise you will literally not understand this chapter at all! Thank you!]**

It'd been a week now.

The funeral had been slow and painful.

She'd avoided Percy the whole time – she hadn't even listened to the eulogies given.

They'd come to a silent mutual agreement to talk about it later.

She had worse things to deal with.

At least Percy was single.

She'd never felt worse in her life than pretending to play it cool with Luke all week.

It wasn't fair to him. That she might like their relationship more than she liked Luke himself. That she might have kissed her ex-fiance the other day. That she might have felt that that all felt more right than this did.

It just wasn't fair to him. For her to not say anything. Not when he wanted to marry her.

Because deep down, Annabeth knew that their marriage wasn't going to last. Because the moment that relationship wasn't the stable, happy one she'd dreamed of, she'd crack. And that wasn't what marriage meant.

Annabeth squirmed in her seat as Luke paid the check.

He smiled at her. "Ready to go?"

Annabeth nodded.

The ride home was painful.

She let Luke do all the talking and forced herself to give the occasional nod.

As they arrived back at the hotel, and Annabeth was preparing to go inside, she stopped.

She'd never felt so far from Luke as she did tonight, and she knew he would sense it. He wasn't stupid.

"Annie?" Luke asked. "You okay?"

Annabeth looked away. Her hands began to tremble a little, not even acknowledging the nickname she hated so much.

She could feel Luke's eyes bearing down on her.

"Hey," he said reaching for her hand. "What's wrong?"

She pulled her shaking hand away, her face still turned from his.

"Luke," she began softly. "I… I don't think this is going to work."

Luke didn't say anything immediately.

Annabeth peered up a little from her self-made hiding spot to see his confused and shocked expression.

"What do you mean?" he asked slowly.

"I just…" she began. "I don't think I'm going to be good enough for you."

He tilted his head as she settled into leaning against her door.

"Annabeth," he began. "You are such a good person, okay? Trust me. You've made _me_ a better person."

Annabeth's face contorted in emotional pain. "Look… Oh, uh, can we actually talk inside?"

Luke stared for a second. "Oh. Yeah. Of course."

He opened the door to his room, letting her in.

Annabeth sat down on the bed. "Someone once told me that to have a successful marriage.—"

"Marriage?" Luke interrupted.

Annabeth rolled her eyes internally at the pointless interruption. "Luke, you don't have to keep pretending. I already know."

Luke looked like he was still trying to process. "How…"

"I saw it on accident," Annabeth said quickly, returning to her original statement. "Anyway, someone since told me that to have a successful marriage, you have to fall in love many times. And always with the same person."

Luke looked at her firmly. "I will always fall in love with you, Annabeth."

Annabeth looked away. "But I won't. And I can't do that to you, Luke."

"What?" Luke asked a little breathlessly.

"Maybe there was a point in time when I was truly in love with you, but, Luke, from the very beginning—"

"This is about our little fight, isn't it?" Luke asked suddenly.

Annabeth looked away in shame. It was so stupid. That she was doing this over a little fight.

"It is, isn't it?" Luke asked again. "God, this is idiotic. You did something, didn't you?"

Annabeth wished she could curl up all alone in a corner.

"What did you do?" Luke asked, his voice dark. "Annabeth, tell me. Please. _What did you do?_ "

Annabeth shrank away. "I made a… dumb mistake."

Luke shook his head. "I can't believe you."

Annabeth's body shook, and she was suddenly back to being a teenager — sitting alone in her massive room, crying, no one there to comfort her. "I.. I'm sorry. It's not fair to you."

"No. It's not," Luke said, sternly.

Annabeth shook more. "I… I guess I realized that I'm not sure I loved you from the start. I've been in love with this relationship more than you. The stability — it's the one thing I've always wanted in my life, and I finally got it, but I wasn't in love. And I don't think that's fair to you when you could have someone so much better for you. So, I can't go through with this in my right mind."

Luke swallowed, his lips pursed. "Okay. It's just… the betrayal…"

He trailed off.

Annabeth looked up at him tentatively. "I'm sorry. I guess I should go."

His eyes were hurt and angry.

She stood up slowly.

Leaving the room, she eyed the velvety box on his nightstand.

"Take it," he said bluntly. "I don't want it anymore."

Annabeth slowly took the small box in her hand, clutching it tightly.

"Get out now," Luke said quietly. "Please."

Annabeth nodded, leaving the room, holding herself together till the door closed behind her.

At the sound of the click of the door behind her, the tears began to fall.

She took deep breaths, then taking quick steps she hurried away.

She needed to get out of this place.

Gathering her things from her hotel room, she ran out, her makeup smeared, mascara running, and her pride long gone — like the only stable building left in her life had just crumbled to dust because there was one crack in the foundation she'd overlooked — like she always did.

* * *

Annabeth stood cautiously in front of the door, key held in her hand.

She tentatively slid the key into the doors twisting it.

The apartment was dimly moonlit.

She placed her bags on the floor as she collapsed against the counter, her tears let go.

"Annabeth?" a soft voice asked.

The person approached, their footsteps right behind her. Annabeth didn't even look up, head still barked in her hands.

A hand rubbed her back. "Hey, hey… Sh… It's gonna be okay, got it?"

Annabeth let herself be held. The girl rubbed her back, telling her it was going to be okay.

Annabeth closed her eyes, letting the tears flow away into sleep.

* * *

When Annabeth woke up the next morning, she was on the couch.

She quickly went to the bathroom.

Her eyes were puffy and red still. He makeup was smeared everywhere. She was a mess.

She was still in last night's dress.

She shook her head. She needed to get out of this.

Stripping the dress off, she ran the shower water.

The hot water flowed down, cleansing her — reviving her.

Getting out the shower, she changed into clean sweats and a t-shirt.

Opening the door, she was greeted by the smell of waffles.

Piper stood in the kitchen, pouring waffle mix into the waffle maker.

"Hey," she said, looking up from the batter spilling over the edge. "I was going to tell you to pay for this month's water bill because of that shower, but I figured you needed it."

Annabeth's lips tugged at a smile. "Thanks."

She shrugged. "Friends, right? Anyway, Hazel went to work."

Annabeth nodded. "Okay. How's Sil?"

Piper's smile fell a little. "She's barely been out of her room since you came last week. I'm worried about her."

Annabeth took a seat at the kitchen table. "Oh."

Piper came over to the table, carrying two plates of waffles. "I feel like waffles are always the perfect breakup food."

"Wait…" Annabeth began. "How'd you know that it…"

Piper shrugged, digging into her waffles. "Eh, it was kind of obvious."

"Oh," Annabeth, staring down at her waffles. "Thanks, Piper."

Piper smiled. "Yeah. Do you want to, uh, talk about it? Or not?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I kissed Percy that day."

Piper was stuffing a large bite of waffle into her face. "What?"

"I cheated on Luke," Annabeth said again, a little relieved Piper didn't hear her. "I guess talking to you made me realize some things that weren't healthy about our relationship. It made me realize we'd never make it as a married couple."

Piper grimaced. "I'm sorry. But, dude, it's not my fault, right?"

Annabeth looked at her. "Really?"

Piper smiled. "Good. Anyway, I'm proud of you for coming clean to Luke. You did, right?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "He actually took it more peacefully than I thought he would. I guess that that was one godsend." Piper nodded. "Anyway, it was really bothering my conscious all week — I had no choice but to tell him. It wouldn't have been fair otherwise."

"I'm sorry, Annie," Piper said. "Do you want more waffles? I promise they help."

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah. That's be great."

Piper nodded, standing up. "I have a good idea! We should have a girls' night out! We haven't had one do those in a while, and you and Sil could both use a little fun."

Annabeth poked her fork at the table. "I guess so. I don't feel like it's fair though for me to be sad when Sil actually loved her fiancé, and he died."

Piper placed a plate of fresh waffles down in front of Annabeth. "Annabeth. Look at me. You have all the right to be sad about this, okay? You just broke up with your almost-fiancé after one hell of a deceiving relationship, got it? Your brain is in no state to be thinking thoughts like that about yourself. So, calm down, chill out, and let your emotions be. You and Sil are going through different kinds a heartbreak, alright? It's okay to be sad about it. It's not wrong. It's not unfair. Just be sad as long as you need to, got it?"

Annabeth nodded, poking at her hot waffles.

"Okay, okay," Piper began. "But, actually? Percy?"

Apparently, she was heard. "Yeah…"

"Oh my god," Piper started excitedly. "You know I'm still like majorly on board with the Percabeth club—"

Annabeth held her hand up. "Ah. Stop. We're not going there. It was a mistake."

"A mistake?" Piper asked. "You're telling me I'm president of a mistake club?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said, stuffing her mouth. "It was. It was wrong. It's just— I guess it kind of made me realize some things."

"Oh," Piper said. "Okay."

"Maybe I just won't go to the gala," Annabeth said quietly.

Piper tilted her head. "I don't know, Annabeth. I really want you to be there. But… I don't want to pressure you, so just think about it. Please?"

Annabeth sighed. "Okay. I'll think about it."

Piper smiled. "Great! But, right now, we have the most awesomest night _ever_ to plan."

* * *

After a lot of convincing, they got Silena to get out of the house.

For the first time, Annabeth saw Silena sad, messy, tired. It was a good reminder that everyone was human.

They went out. Had dinner. Drank. Danced. Went crazy.

It was fun.

It was the kind of fun Annabeth had forgotten about.

Girls' nights outs had ended for her when she moved.

It was the kind of fun that just let you forget. Not like the heavily constructed, constrained dinners with boyfriends at fancy restaurants, but just wild, freeing nights out.

She forgot how great it was to be single until now. And she missed it.

"Hey, Piper!" she yelled over the loud club music.

"What!?" Piper screamed.

"Thank you!" Annabeth yelled.

Piper just smiled.

Silena had managed to get herself a little drunk and have a little fun.

Annabeth was happy for her.

Honestly, Annabeth was just happy. She'd forgotten how good it was to just be free with her best girlfriends and just have _fun_ for once in her life because those moments don't always come often when your name was Annabeth Chase.

* * *

Annabeth unzipped the huge bag.

Fingering the shimmering cloth, she carefully pulled it out, little by little. _This_ dress. That was so long ago.

"You've made up your mind, then?"

Annabeth turned around to face Piper. "Yeah. I don't want the breakup to affect my friends too much or _me_ for the matter."

Piper smiled. "I'm glad. I'm gonna go get ready, but I'm really glad you're coming."

Annabeth smiled. "Thanks."

Annabeth slid into the dress, letting the silky fabric slide smoothly against her skin.

Slipping on her silver stilettos, she walked slowly before the mirror, taking deep breaths.

She stopped.

The dress fell along her smoothly. The minuscule sparkles intertwined into the fabric sparkled from all angles. She looked stunning.

She let Piper do her makeup, accenting her face in ways she'd never realized she could. And, for once, she was almost happy with herself — with who she was becoming.

She'd grown in ways she'd never noticed in the past few years. She'd overcome her own prejudices — her pride, her mistakes, all of it. And she was finally growing up.

When she'd moved out of the house at age 21, she'd felt that was her growing up moment, but, looking back, she'd never never really grown up at all. She was still girl then — a girl who'd never felt heartbreak, a girl who'd never truly been in love, and a girl who knew nothing but herself. And now, she was finally learning.

She'd come across so many people and experiences that she would never forget that now, she had no place to go but up. She'd never thought being at the bottom was good, but she'd finally realized that those was the things that forged her the relationships she'd never leave behind now.

And after all that, she'd realized that the most important thing she'd ever experienced was truly loving someone. And not even romantically — because that would something totally different — but just as a friend who you _know_ will _never_ leave you.

* * *

The venue was beautiful.

Various shades of pink flowers mixed with white covered the courtyard, creating one massive romantic jungle.

But inside, there were white marble floors and white and gold chairs and rose-pink accents everywhere, and Annabeth felt like she was in Cupid's palace. There was a reason Aphrodite was named after the Greek goddess of love.

Annabeth looked rather out of place in her midnight blue dress, but she wasn't in the mood for light pinks.

Piper looked stunning in her sweetheart neckline, pink chiffon, floor-length gown – especially against her darker tan skin.

Hazel showed up in the prettiest, cutest, gold, sparkly dress that perfectly accented her skin tone and hair.

And, of course, Silena had come.

Piper had gotten her to get ready for the special occasion and just enjoy dressing up. And dress up, she did.

She looked drop-dead gorgeous in her high-low, deep red dress that fanned out in a long, very expensive train of fabric. Her black hair was pinned up into a perfectly intricate updo that Annabeth could only dream of doing. Her makeup was pristine, and yet, she looked sad.

Annabeth sighed, taking a seat at her designated table with Piper and Hazel and Sil.

Dinner went on and Annabeth tried her best to enjoy the night, ignoring the empty seat beside her. And she did.

Finally, Aphrodite headed to the podium at the center stage of the ballroom.

She raised her Rose crystal bell to the microphone and quickly dinged it.

"Good evening, everyone!" she squealed. "I hope you all are having a _wonderful_ night! However, in light of a recent loss, I've decided to take this time to honor my daughter's dramatic love story. Only one week ago, my sweet daughter, Silena, lost her fiancé. Tonight, I've invited one of his good friends to say a few _very_ quick words about him. Alright! Let's hurry up with this!"

She clapped her hands and motioned for someone to take the podium.

Annabeth squinted across the room. It was Percy getting up.

He stood up at the podium.

Even from a hundred feet away, she could see his hands shaking.

The death had hit him as hard as it had Silena.

Annabeth didn't know why, but she assumed he'd been there. He probably blamed it on himself.

"Good evening," he said, his voice reverberating through the room.

He adjusted the microphone, sending an ear-piercing sound throughout the room.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Annabeth could see Aphrodite pouting annoyedly on the sidelines.

Annabeth sighed. _Dear gods,_ she began to pray.

* * *

 **Percy POV**

Percy fumbled with the microphone, earning a glare from Aphrodite.

 _You're such an idiot_ , he thought.

He stared down at the crumpled piece of paper in his hands that was so crinkled, he could barely read the words. Perks of being ADHD – you crinkle anything in your hands.

"Many of you," he began to read shakily from his hands. "must know Silena. She… is a big, uh, part of the, uh, comp… uh, sorry, uh, community. All, uh, thr—though many of us know _her_ , some of, uh, us didn't know, uh, her fiancé, a, uh, good friend of, uh, mine." _Stupid dyslexia._ "To his, uh, good, friends, he, uh, was no… uh, known, as Beck. But, to Silena, he was known as, uh, Charlie."

 _Screw this,_ he thought.

Crumpling up the piece of paper, he stuffed it in his pocket. He was flying solo now.

He took a deep breath, envisioning every memory he had with Beckendorf as he placed his hands firmly on the crystal podium. "Beckendorf – Charles Beckendorf – was one of my greatest friends. He… always knew that no matter what, in the end, he'd always put himself after others. When he died, I had never felt such loss in my life. Everyday, I regret that I wasn't there. But… what I think that we need to realize is that despite all the pain, all the loss, all the hurt, there's a time to move on." Percy looked out on the crowd, surveying the men and women in the audience, some of whom had never even known who Beck was. "We're all broken. All of us have a our flaws. We all have made mistakes. And, sometimes, we have to remember that because of that — that we are all broken — that we need to move on. Beckendorf — he was master of craft, and not just with metal and tools, but with people. He drew people together, despite their brokenness, and I think that that's a lesson we can all draw from — that no matter what differences we face, or hurt we feel that we think no one else can understand, we are all drawn together by our brokenness. All of us have experienced loss in one way or another, and if we can learn to empathize with each other no matter the size of the pain, we can learn to come across differences and overcome our own hurt with others. Beckendorf taught me this through his brave actions. Silena, I know it was probably hard for you to come tonight, but I want you to know that Beck didn't give his life in vain. He left you physically, but all of us have an obligation here to protect and preserve his memory and sacrifice. You may or may not have known Beck personally, but he was a man I strive to be, and that we should all strive to be like." Percy surveyed the room, his voice beginning to break. "Thank you."

He stepped down shakily from the podium, the room silent.

As he sat down, polite applause flooded the room, and Percy wished he could hide.

Dinner flew by.

Aphrodite announced raffle winners.

Stuff happened.

Dancing started.

Percy wasn't really in a dancing mood.

He wove his way through the crowd, unnoticed, falling back to the bar.

"Gin tonic," he mumbled. "Whatever's strongest. On the rocks."

The bar tender nodded, walking away to get his drink.

Percy slumped at the counter.

The rhythmic tapping of heels approached him quickly.

 _Not now_ , he thought.

"Percy?" a feminine voice asked.

Percy didn't turn around. "Yeah, I'm sorry," he said. "I know I gave a crap speech and I'm sorry if you didn't know Beck, and I'm sorry if you blame me for his death."

"What?" the other voice said, a little shocked.

"I said," Percy began, "That I'm—"

"No!" the girl's voice interjected. "I mean, no. I heard you. I just… came to say that I really appreciated what you said up there. It was really… beautiful."

Percy turned around, lifting his head up from the counter. He ran a hand through his already gelled hair. "Annabeth? Oh, hi."

She blushed a little. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. It's just… well, I thought you knew it was me. But, uh, sorry, that was beside the point. I just wanted to thank you for what you said. It really meant a lot."

Percy smiled a little. "I'm glad someone liked it."

Annabeth's lips tugged at a smile. "Of course."

There was an awkward beat of silence.

"Actually," she began, "about the other day…"

Percy opened his mouth. "Yeah…"

"Well," she said. "It was a mistake. I was going through a kind of tough time and that was the wrong way for me to take it out. I'm sorry for leading you on. But, Percy, can we move on? It was so long ago that it gets blurry even. I know I made mistakes and that I hurt you, but we were so young – so blind, so unsure. I know this is a random time for apologies, but things have been changing lately, and I wanted to the opportunity – even briefly. You don't have to respond or anything. I just, want to ask if we could move on – even just a little?"

Percy stopped. _Little mistakes._ "I guess so."

"But, just for clarification, we're not a thing, okay?" she clarified.

"Can we try for friends, then?" he asked, sitting up.

She smiled and nodded. "We'll try."

He grinned lopsidedly. "Want a drink?"

She smiled. "There's always a time for drowning out your sorrows with friends."

* * *

 **Well guys, that's that.**

 **Please leave reviews and criticism is appreciated!**

 **However, I was curious if there was interest for me to continue the story or not?**

 **I could end it with one more chapter, but there's a possibility of continuation for a more wholesome true Percabeth story. But, if I don't get a lot of response for continuing the story, I'll end it next time and shift my focus to my next story that I'm really looking forward to.**

 **Let me know!**

 **\- tea-made-bean**


	12. Lay Off

**Hi guys!**

 **I know, I'm so so sorry that I haven't updated in like two weeks or something now.**

 **The good news is that: This story will be contnued!**

 **But, between trying to figure out what on earth to do with this story and being sick and all, I had a butt load of stuff to get done for this.**

 **However, there are a lot of people I owe this continuation to:**

 **jodanfritz10** **: thank you! that's exactly what I'm going to do! ps, the 'please' helped :)**

 **oldestj1** **: love the "Wow"**

 **Kaleidascope** **: agh, thank you so much! i appreciate your encouragement about my writing, and i now leave it in your hands to let me know if it gets bad...**

 **Jamesmeyor** **(Guest): oh my god, first of all, that was so sweet, so thank you. But, second of all, i'm so sorry for making you cry! i feel bad now... but look forward to Percabeth!**

 **I will continue the rest of the review responses at the bottom...**

 **But, for now, i know this is kind of a short chapter, but here goes!**

* * *

 **Eleven.**

 **Lay Off**

 **Annabeth POV**

 _ **One-and-a-half months later**_

Annabeth had done a lot of things in her relatively short life so far.

But this was nothing quite like them.

"So," she said, licking her ice cream carefully. "If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?"

A cool, March wind blew by her, almost blowing her hair into her ice cream.

"Uh," Percy responded, sticking his ice cream cone in his mouth. "I wish I didn't have to leave so much. I don't like being away from my mom for so long."

Annabeth nodded thoughtfully. "Mama's boy."

Percy grinned, blue ice cream dribbling down his face. "That's right. What about you?"

They walked casually down the sidewalk, just watching other people.

"You got something on your face," she said bluntly.

He looked around, searching.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You won't be able to see it, stupid. It's on your own face."

Percy smiled and licked the ice cream off of his face. "Got it. You didn't answer my question."

She took another lick of her ice cream. "I wish that I didn't have to do menial tasks like paperwork and board meetings. I hate those things."

Percy nodded. "Okay. That's fair." He paused. "Ooh, I got one. If you could live in any kind of world, what would it be?"

Annabeth tilted her head to get the side of her ice cream. "What do you mean by _world_?"

"Like…" Percy began. "Would you want to be a princess in a fairy tale world. Or would you rather be the hero in sci-fi story?"

Annabeth thought about it. "I guess I'd want to be a villain in a fantasy novel. I've always just wanted to just try and be pure evil and do like… dark magic."

Percy snorted. "Wow. What a dark side. I guess, if you were the villain, I'd want the hero of the story. That way, I could rescue you from your evilness."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Got it…"

Percy laughed. "That's only if I were in your story. Besides, I think that already how this story's going." Annabeth glared at him. "Sorry, sorry. But I guess if I had to pick on my own, I'd want to be the prince in fairy tale because then I would always do things right. Fantasy novel heroes make too many mistakes for the sake of character building."

Annabeth laughed. "I'm sure you'd be a great prince to someone out there. Besides, you don't seem like the fantasy novel type."

Percy nodded, stuffing his mouth with a large chunk of melting ice cream. "Yeah. I agree."

Annabeth unzipped her purse with one hand, checking her phone. "Ugh. I gotta go. Hazel's calling."

She turned to Percy who was busy with his ice cream. He looked up and smiled with blue ice cream all over his mouth.

"See you around," he said.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Alright, you idiot. See you."

She turned to walk back towards the office when she heard shouting behind her.

Heavy footsteps followed her.

"Wait!" Percy's voice huffed.

She stopped, rolling her eyes, and turning around. "What?"

"Bye," he said with a lopsided grin.

She rolled her eyes again. "Loser."

He smiled as she turned around again, flipping him off over her shoulder.

* * *

"Hey," Hazel said, as Annabeth came out of the elevator. "What's with the smile?"

Annabeth looked at her, smiling. "Nothing."

"If you say so."

Annabeth shook her head, entering her office.

Her phone was ringing.

She picked up the phone, putting her purse down. "Hello?"

" _Annabeth?"_ the other voice asked. _"We need to call a board meeting… tonight."_

Ananbeth scrunched her eyebrows. "Okay. Is this something I should ask why?"

There was a pause in the other line. _"It's… probably best if we tell you in person."_

Anything in person was either really good or really bad news. But by the looks of this, it was bad news.

"Alright," she said. "I'll, uh, be here tonight at 6, then. Goodbye."

She put the phone down, slumping into her chair.

There really was no end.

* * *

Annabeth sat down at the huge wood conference table, placing the binder down in front of her.

"Annabeth," the board chair began. "How are you doing?"

"Well," Annabeth said. "But I'd appreciate it if you just got straight to the point."

Tension rose in the room.

"We thought it was necessary to call this meeting because we think you… might need a break."

"What?" Annabeth asked breathlessly.

"We just think that you've been awfully in and out of the office, and this company needs a leader who's consistent."

"I… am consistent," she said back steadily. "I've been very dedicated to _my_ firm since it started."

His jaw tightened. "However, we're not sure if dedication and consistency are one in the same."

Annabeth gripped the table. "So, it's my fault that I've been working on a huge project outside of the office? This was the opportunity that you all encouraged me to take for the sake of the company's name. And now it's my fault? I'm just doing my job. The company didn't suffer during my absence. I was still sufficiently present."

"I understand," he began. "But, everyone in the office has noticed that your… personal life has been… interfering with work."

Annebeth scoffed. "You're the only one who thinks that. And what would you know about my personal life that gives you right to judge it?"

"We're not saying that you're a bad person, you just seem like you could use some time off to sort things out," he said. "Please… don't take it personally."

Annabeth nearly laughed at the absurdity. _"Don't take it personally?_ I built this firm from the ground up. I guaranteed that there were no flaws in its foundations. It was as meticulous as building that skyscraper outside the window. I poured my soul and life into this firm, and you're telling me _not to take it personally?_ " She paused, considering the situation. "Fine. If you want it this way, that's fine."

The tension level in the room seemed to drop a little as she stopped talking.

"We'll be putting in a… substitute during your time off. However, we'd like you to help him settle in."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You want me to help the man who's replacing me."

The board chair looked a little pained. "Well, yes. He's an experienced business man, but he doesn't have much experience with architecture. So, of course, he won't be head architect of the firm, but he will be managing the firm."

Annabeth pursed her lips.

 _Replaced_.

 _Unwanted._

 _Distracted._

 _Athena._

She shook her head of the thoughts.

She was always told to stay calm and collected. _The fastest way to lose respect in a business situation is to overreact._

"I appreciate your concern," she said stiffly. "But I'm concerned you're putting a man who's never been in architecture sat the head of an architecture firm. You realize that, correct?"

"Of course," another board member said. "That's why we'll still have you on board."

"What makes you think I have any inclination to help my replacement?" she asked.

They were silent for a minute. "Because you care about this firm like your care about your life."

Annabeth nearly snorted. "I don't give a damn about my life. It's the firm I care about and the people working in it. They won't be so happy to know that you're putting a rookie in that head position. You sure know how to disrupt order, don't you?"

"We won't be disrupting order," the board chair responded. "He's a strong and committed business man."

"This is an _architecture_ firm, sir," she said coolly. "It's not any old retail business. My employees will be frustrated. I hope you realize that. They've worked their entire lives to get a job like the one you're giving away to an outsider. This hurts the company as a whole more than me being head does."

The board members pursed their lips. "We'd… still like to give it a try. At least for a little while. If things go south, we'll reinstate you."

Annabeth scoffed. "You expect me to wait around like a begging dog? All of you know I'm fully capable of going off and starting another firm equally, if not more, successful."

They eyed each other a little nervously. "Think of it as a sabbatical, Ms. Chase. A break from the hectic work life."

"It's more like getting laid off," she retorted.

"I understand that that's how you feel," the board chair said, "but, please, just enjoy this break. We'll see you around."

Annabeth swallowed. "Alright, then. I look forward to seeing who you've chosen."

They nodded, and she stood up.

Stopping at the door, she looked out at the city lights and back at the board members. "Just for common courtesy, could you be generous enough to tell me who I'll be _training_."

"Of course. You're familiar with him perhaps? His name is Luke Castellan."

Annabeth froze. "No…"

* * *

Annabeth slammed the shot glass down in the counter.

"It's Luke Castellan," she growled.

Piper laughed, earning a glare from Annabeth. "You're kidding, right?"

Annabeth glared again. "You think I'm kidding? Why do you think I'm taking shots at our kitchen counter?"

Piper looked shocked. "No way. That's messed up."

Annabeth snorted. "No really."

"Welp," Piper said. "There's nothing you can really do about it."

"They want me to train him."

Piper choked. "WHAT?"

Annabeth poured them another glass. "I'm not kidding. They expect me to be ever-so-willing to sit around and _help_ the guy who's taking _my_ job."

"That's just flat out cruel," Piper said. "Not to mention he probably hates you now. And there'll probably be a ñot of tension that'll make your work life miserable."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "That's my _fabulous_ board for you."

Annabeth picked up the bottle pouring another shot.

She raised her glass. "To being jobless and horribly unfortunate."

* * *

Annabeth's heels clicked softly as she walked out of the elevator.

Whispers surrounded her.

" _Is she seriously still using the private elevator?"_

" _I thought she got booted."_

" _Shut up. Did you hear we're getting some other random dude?"_

" _You're kidding, right?"_

" _Nope."_

" _I was dying for that stupid position. This firm is crap."_

" _At least Annabeth was a good architect."_

" _We probably got some douchebag now."_

" _No kidding."_

" _Dude, guys, shut up. She's right there."_

" _I can't believe she actually agreed to keep working here."_

Annabeth tuned them out.

It wasn't like she wanted to work here.

She'd ruined her whole weekend to consider what exactly Luke needed to know to do this job half-decently.

She opened the door to her— _the_ office.

It was empty.

 _Idiot_ , she thought.

She settled down on one of the couches, pouring herself a cup of tea while she waited.

About twenty minutes later, the door clicked open.

Luke entered, burgundy suit wrinkled, his blonde hair half-gelled.

"Ah, Annabeth," he said, smiling.

Annabeth ignored him. "Glad to see you could show up on time." She checked her watch. "Only 54 minutes late to work on your first day."

He smiled. "Ever so critical."

"That is my job," she responded, "as your baby monitor."

Luke closed the door behind him, sitting down in the chair across from her. "I don't need a baby monitor — much less you. So you can come in everyday, sit in this office, we'll have a little fun, and you can leave like nothing happened, got it?"

"Or I could do my job, and make sure you keep your training wheels on until you can at least stand," she said, her eyes narrowed.

Luke's lips curled upward as he lifted her chin with one finger. "Annabeth, Annabeth. You're truly beautiful, but you've got an awful personality. So, please, just screw around already."

"You're sick, Luke," she said quietly.

"Oh no," he whispered, leaning closer. " _You're_ the sick one."

Wisps of alcohol flew off his breath.

"I should've known," she said, standing up. "You're drunk. You have all the signs. I don't know why you're like this, but you certainly aren't fit to run _any_ company. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll gladly take your advice and leave for today."

She grabbed her purse, and left the room.

Outside the office, people stared.

She glared at them, and they hurried back to work.

"I'm leaving for today, Hazel," she said. "I can't train a dog who's already dead."

She turned away, heading into the elevator.

She pulled out her phone as she leaned against the elevator wall.

 **Percy?** She texted.

 **Percy: Yeah?**

 **Annabeth: free rn?**

 **Percy: uhuh**

 **Annabeth: k. starbucks by my apartment in 15. see you there, loser.**

 **Percy: ok**

She stuffed her phone back in her bag.

Things with Percy had gotten better in the last two months — almsot to the point that he would be the peeson she called after Piper and Hazel and maybe Sil or Thalia.

They'd made a pact to try and talk to each other once a week. To help make things less awkward when they did things together with their friend group. It was kinda working.

But, then again, things were always a little deceiving in Annabeth's life.

* * *

 **Okay, I know, that was an awkward ending to the chapter... sorry.**

 **Here are the remaining review responses:**

 **Paige King** **: awww, thank you! im glad to know you love the story, and I hope not to disappoint!**

 **And, yes, I realize this is not a review, but I really need to thank ErrorOneZeroOne who wrote me the sweetest PM ever that really got me back on track to write, so just a little thank you to you!**

 **Anyway, let me know your thoughts on the turn this story is taking! Hopefully Percy and Annabeth's friendship doesn't seem too weird.**

 **Review! Yay! (we're trying to hit 10k views, 25 reviews, and 70 follows...)**

 **\- tea-made-bean**


	13. Myself

**HEY GUYS...**

 **Yes, I know, it's been like more than a month now, and I'm _so so_ sorry. Please forgive me!**

 **However, I do want to inform you that I will probably be taking an official break (not a spontaneous, unexpected one like that last one) after this chapter!**

 **I've kind of lost my creative abilities lately (where's my fellow writer squad?), so that's made this really difficult to get through, coupled with being super busy, stressed out, and generally just trying to get my life together.**

 **A few review responses:**

 **Jamesmeyor : tanks for the constant support! sorry about last chapter!**

 **oldestj1 : You're welcome!**

 **Kaleidascope : I too am curious to see how this turns out...**

 **Paige King : Yes! I'm also glad I saw your review! Don't know if I would've ever finished this without it!**

 **Also, good news! We've reached a lot of my goals that I set last time! We broke 10k views and we're close to 11k now! We've also passed 70 followers! But, we missed the review cut by two! but it's okay 'cause I think we did great!**

 **But, here it is in all its short, filler glory!**

* * *

 **Twelve.**

 **Percy POV**

 **Myself**

Percy tapped his fingers impatiently on the table.

The café door swung open, and she scanned the room.

Her grey eyes found his, and she quickly came over to sit down.

"Hey," he said.

She nodded. "Hey."

"Didn't I like… _just_ see you like _yesterday_?" he asked, swishing his coffee around.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"So," he said, leaning forward, "how may Prince Charming assist you today?"

Annabeth stared at him blankly. "You'd be a crappy Prince Charming."

Percy stuck his tongue out her in the least professional way he could muster.

She just glared at him.

"It's Luke," she said bluntly. "He's a total douche."

Percy's lighthearted mood fell. "What?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes at him, tugging on the hem of her blouse.

"You want me to go beat him up?" Percy asked. "It probably wouldn't be that hard."

Annabeth's lips tugged at a smile. "Yeah, I wish."

There was awkward silence.

"So," Percy began, "You going to Piper's tonight?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Cool…" Percy said. "Can I get a ride?"

Annabeth stared at him blankly. "I hate freeloaders."

Percy smiled. "I know."

She smiled. Percy smiled internally. He was glad to finally see her smile.

"So, why'd you ask me, then?" she asked.

He shrugged, grinning. "Because I enjoy bothering you."

She rolled her eyes. "Ugh. I have to go back to work. There's a meeting with a competing firm in an hour, and apparently it's my job to brief Luke on who he is and what to say."

"Well," Percy said, "at least you're still in charge."

Annabeth set her mug down on table with a louder-than-usual _clang_. "I practically _am_. It's been like one day, and the only difference is he gets to sit in my chair, and I have to sit on my couch. It's a waste of my time when I could just be doing it without the extra work."

Percy laughed. She was kinda cute when she was mad. "Yeah. I'm sure you could."

She stood up, sipping the last of her coffee. "Well, gotta run, but sorry for making you come out here to talk for like thirty seconds."

"Nah, it's fine," he said, getting up. "Wasn't doing anything anyway."

She grabbed her purse. "Just be at my office building by 6:30, and we can carpool to Piper's. See you then, Percy."

She turned around and left.

Percy sat back down with his coffee.

His phone buzzed. It was Piper.

* * *

 **Annabeth POV**

Annabeth stepped out of the elevator.

"Hey," Hazel said.

"Oh, hi. Luke in there?"

"Uh, actually, he just left," Hazel responded tentatively. "He said he was feeling sick."

Annabeth cursed under her breath. "When's the meeting with Caesar Group?"

"In 35 minutes," Hazel said. "Do you want me to reschedule?"

Annabeth considered, "No. They're probably trying to figure out how we ended up beating them in this year's financials, success rates, project numbers, and pretty much everything else except for being douchebags." Hazel snorted. "They're literally such douchebags. Can't stand them."

"Well, you probably scare them," Hazel commented.

Annabeth fake-glared at her. "Well, actually, it might be a good thing Luke isn't here. They'd probably take advantage of me being removed."

Hazel nodded, handing some papers to her. "Here are all the company statistics and any information on them."

"Perfect. Thank you."

"No problem. Just send them home crying," Hazel said with a smile.

"Of course."

Annabeth pushed open the door to her office, sitting down to look over the papers.

There was a knock on her office door and Hazel opened it, poking her head in. "Hey, they're already here. Would you like to meet with them now?"

Annabeth didn't even look up. "Let them wait."

"Okay," Hazel said, shutting the door as she exited.

Annabeth continued to look over papers and do work as she tidied up the office from the mess Luke had made.

Finally, she left the office.

She extended her hand to the man in the business suit in front of her.

His suit was one size too small – like he was trying to be cool, but he didn't know how. His thin blonde hair was cut unevenly and overworked with product. His socks didn't match his tie. His cologne was too strong. His leather briefcase was water-stained.

Annabeth had no idea how this dude was chosen as Caesar Group's next head.

But, then again, she had no idea how Luke was appointed head at her own firm.

"Good to meet you," she said, shaking his hand.

"Ah," he said, looking up. "Are you Ms. Chase?" She nodded. "You're awfully… young."

She nodded. "Yes, I am. The conference room is this way."

He nodded awkwardly, following behind her to the conference room.

She took a seat opposite of him, pouring herself a glass of water. "So, Mr. Octavian, I appreciate you coming out today to meet."

"Ah. Of course," he said. "As the newly chosen head at the Caesar Group, which I'm awfully proud to say is one of the top firms in the country, in fact, a few years back we were predicted to be the most successful firm in the next decade… oh, anyway, as the new owner of the top position in the firm, I'm _so_ glad to finally meet the renowned Annabeth Chase."

"I'm sure," Annabeth said, internally rolling her eyes at the absurdity of the man.

"Certainly. The Caesar Group, having experienced extraordinary success for the last six decades, is extremely interested in partnering with your firm. I'm truly blessed to be in such a position, and I think that I can help Caesar Group be the top firm again because I have a lot of experience in this field and have designed an award-winning building. So, Ms. Chase, let's talk about you. You're awfully young to be in such a position. How did you do it?"

Annabeth wanted to rip the vocal chords out of this guy. He was only good at one thing apparently – and that was pissing her off. "All it really takes is a little bit of talent, determination, and humility."

He clearly missed her point because he went right on, "I couldn't agree more. Tell me about some of your achievements, Ms. Chase."

She smiled cordially. "I've done a few notable things in my career. However, I don't particularly enjoy talking about my achievements, but you seem to, so continue on. Humor me, Mr. Octavian."

She watched with a little bit of guilty pleasure as his face turned bright red.

"That's lovely, Ms. Chase," he stuttered. "I did want to talk about a potential partnership between our firms though."

She nodded. "Of course. I'm sure you would benefit quite a bit from one."

His ears burned redder. "Yes… We would, Ms. Chase."

"Good," she said calmly. "Let's discuss that then."

After a long meeting with an oblivious and pretentious prick, Annabeth was already annoyed. So, when Luke showed up, dressed in a freshly pressed, burgundy suit, Annabeth was _pissed_.

She stared at him with her cold, hard eyes, then, taking a deep breath, she picked up her bag and walked out of her office and to the elevators.

"Annabeth!" Luke yelled.

She stopped and turned around. "Luke. Now is not the time. I'm already late for dinner. I need to go. We can talk about this tomorrow – that is, assuming you show up to work sober."

He looked at her, his eyes betraying annoyance. "Fine. Allow me to take you down to the lobby."

She pursed her lips as she stepped into the elevator. "No need for that, Luke. Percy's waiting for me downstairs. Have a good night. Enjoy your new job."

Luke stopped in front of the nearly closed elevator doors, and as Annabeth looked into his eyes, they showed the slightest hint of hurt.

For a second Annabeth's hand almost reached out to open the doors again, but they shut, and he was out of sight, and she was fine with it.

When she reached the bottom, the door opened to reveal sea green eyes and tousled black hair. Percy.

"Oh, hey," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I was just about to go up to see what was taking you so long."

She sighed. "'Kay. Let's go, then. Parking garage."

He nodded, and in awkward silence, the two of them left the building.

* * *

 **Yay! I see Percabeth somewhere on the horizon!**

 **Anyway, I have a few special things for you guys!**

 **Firstly, while I am going to be taking a break, I might post a one-shot every now and then. So... let me knwo if you're interested in any of these:**

 **\- a Percabeth oneshot about cooking**

 **\- a Tratie oneshot**

 **\- an Easter Bunny oneshot on all the ships!**

 **Secondly, I'm planning for a new story to launch later this year! So, as a peace offering for my extended absence, I have a glimpse into the tentative prologue/first chapter of my new story, whose title is yet to be decided upon and revealed. But, here it is:**

 **Prologue.**

 **2064 CE**

 _Ash fell from the sky._

 _It fell slowly, swirling in rhythmic patterns, like propaganda after a war._

 _In fact, propaganda did fall from the sky. Well, perhaps it wasn't propaganda – just old newspapers and magazines._

 _Small fires puttered in the alleyways of desolate streets._

 _Some lucky few huddled around the fires, fueled by extra newsprint._

 _A sudden breeze flew in, scattering debris across the already worn street._

 _In a small, abandoned warehouse, twelve figures were seated around a table, their faces hidden by the shadows among flickering lights._

 _"This world has been in turmoil for years now," a man's voice boomed throughout the warehouse._

 _There were nods of agreement around the table._

 _"Together," he continued, "we have defied the laws of nature – made ourselves gods above men."_

 _A woman spoke. "We have bonded ourselves together as brothers and sisters through the blood we have shed together to create a new earth."_

 _The man with the booming voice spoke again. "The time has come where we have no choice but to give the people what they want."_

 _"We will build an army," the woman spoke again. "Those who are dedicated and devastating to the evil on this earth – created in likeness to our mind, soul, and strength."_

 _There were murmurs around the table._

 _The man smiled, only his teeth shining in the dark. "The days of anarchy have fallen, my brothers and sisters. And from its ashes will rise a tyranny."_

* * *

 **And that was my tentative draft for the beginning of chapter one of book one of my (hopefully) upcoming dystopian story! Let me know what you think! This will hopefully get launched no later than June 2019!**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed my peace offering and gifts! See you in a bit (we'll see if I actually do this break thing or not...)!**

 **I'm sorry, you came for an update on the story, not to listen to me ramble for as long as the story was practically...**

 **Please review and share thoughts!**

 **\- tmb**


End file.
